At Cigna, we value supporting the health and well-being of individuals in the communities where we live and work. Our Global Citizenship efforts support our mission and are an important part of our culture. We are proud to report the following global citizenship highlights from 2019.
United States
Helping Us Grow Smiles
Every parent’s first priority when their child is admitted to the hospital is to ensure that in addition to getting the best medical treatment possible, they feel a sense of safety and normalcy. Cigna’s Helping Us Grow Smiles (HUGS) Committee strives to ease this burden for the parents of patients at Valley Children’s Hospital in Visalia, CA by throwing an annual “afternoon away from the hospital” event. This fun-filled celebration is held in a wing of the hospital, which allows patients and their families to take advantage of the festivities – painting, coloring, eating, listening to music – without having to venture very far.
In 2019, Cigna was able to fund the celebration through employee donations as well as in-kind donations from local vendors. This event was a continuation of Cigna's ongoing support of the hospital, which has included donations of art supplies and games.
South Korea
Combatting Loneliness in Seniors through Care Call
In 2019, over 300 employees of LINA Korea, a health and life insurance subsidiary of Cigna, volunteered with “Care Call,” a nonprofit that matches volunteers with seniors who live alone in Jongro-gu, where our office is located.
LINA Korea volunteers reached out regularly to their matched seniors throughout the year through phone calls to asses and bolster their physical and behavioral health and well-being. If their senior’s health or well-being appeared to be flagging, our employees would request that additional care and support be provided. Employees also visited with their seniors on at least three different occasions throughout the year – in May, September, and December. It is common for seniors living alone to feel a void during these months in particular, as “family month” occurs in May; Chuseok or “Korean Thanksgiving Day” occurs in September; and Christmas and year-end holidays occur in December.
During visits, employees treat their seniors to nice meals and ensure that their living conditions are comfortable. Our colleagues have made more than 100,000 calls to seniors since the program started in 2011.
Sundukhome Volunteer Program
In 2019, more than 150 employees of Cigna's subsidiary, LINA Korea, volunteered at an orphanage located in Jongro-gu. Employees provided a variety of after-school programs, including art, physical education, and cooking to 39 children between the ages of 3 and 16. LINA Korea’s work with the nonprofit included providing financial resources to the children in the orphanage as well as a range of opportunities and experiences that were designed to help them build their creativity, social awareness, and emotional resiliency.
Forest Conservation Program
In 2019, more than 430 employees of LINA Korea participated in the forest conservation program on the trails of Aengbongsan and Bukhansan (“san” in Korean means mountain) in Eunpyeong-gu to collect trash and remove invasive plants disturbing the ecosystem.
United Kingdom
Médecins Sans Frontièrres
In 2019, Cigna Europe collaborated with Médecins Sans Frontières to support a vaccination campaign against measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Nearly 200 staff members in our Greenock and Glasgow offices participated in the effort, which raised enough funds to provide 10,000 children in the DRC with measles vaccinations.
Walking for Health and Well-Being
Cigna Day is celebrated annually at our United Kingdom (U.K.) offices. On Cigna Day our employees in the Greenock and Glasgow offices participate in a 5k walk to raise funds for charities that are associated with health and well-being. In 2019, our U.K. employees chose the British Heart Foundation as their nonprofit partner for the walk. The Glasgow office also raised funds for the Macmillan Cancer Support Center by hosting a “Coffee Morning” bake sale before their walk.
Taiwan
Turning Kilometers into Nonprofit Fundraising
In 2019, Cigna’s Taiwan office held its annual month-long health promotion volunteer activity, “Cigna Walking and Cycling.” The ambitious digital campaign promoted exercise for stress-free healthy living. As part of the initiative, employees were encouraged to enter the distance they walked or cycled into an app. For every kilometer (km) accumulated, Cigna Taiwan pledged to donate to the HOPE Foundation for Cancer Care and Cancer Prevention. The campaign aimed to accumulate 100,000 km, for which Cigna would donate over $3,000 to support the health and wellbeing of those in the community.
Over 6,000 Cigna employees across Taiwan participated in the initiative, accumulating more than 125,000 km and outperforming the original goal. Cigna Taiwan subsequently donated over $4,000 to the HOPE Foundation. This achievement shows the extent to which participants identified with the theme of building a healthy life and achieving well-being in their communities. Cigna Taiwan employees also joined the online campaign and made personal donations to the HOPE Foundation for Cancer Care and Cancer Prevention in an effort to further Cigna's support.
Addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to Reduce Hunger and Advance Health
In 2019, Cigna’s Taiwan office addressed United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) 2 “Zero Hunger” and 3 “Good Health & Well-being,” by volunteering with two nonprofit partners – the HOPE Foundation for Cancer Care and Cancer Prevention and Andrew Food Bank.
Our team volunteered nearly 600 hours over 119 events to provide support in the following areas: (1) Food packaging for disadvantaged children and families, (2) Making crafts for cancer patients, and (3) Cash donations (from internal employee donations) to help cancer patients and their families.
Thailand
Running to Combat Heart Disease and Stress
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Thailand. Cigna is committed to improving heart health as part of our mission to improve the health, well-being and peace of mind of those we serve.
In 2019, Cigna Thailand organized “Cigna Run Therapy” for the first time, in order to combat heart disease. The event was unique in that in addition to raising money it was also designed to relieve participants’ stress by combining running with the engagement of the five senses.
Apart from improving their own health and well-being, the 130 run participants had an opportunity to help with heart diseases through donations to Chulalongkorn Hospital and the Thai Red Cross.
