CHARLESTON, WV, Dec. 13, 2022 — Aetna Higher Well being® of West Virginia, a CVS Well being® firm (NYSE: CVS), introduced it has offered a $610,000 neighborhood funding to Pressley Ridge in West Virginia to help remedy applications at its residential campus and home- and community-based service enlargement initiatives for Kids with Critical Emotional Problems (CSED) waivers within the state.

Pressley Ridge is a multi-state, social-impact group supporting youth and households with advanced behavioral well being wants. At its Grant Gardens facility in Ona, WV, Pressley Ridge operates an intensive, residential-treatment program that addresses underlying trauma, whereas concurrently making ready kids, in addition to their households, for transition again to home- and/or community-based settings by way of CSED waiver companies. As a part of this ongoing work, Aetna’s contributions are serving to Pressley Ridge improve worker recruitment and retention, develop workers coaching to advance medical information and experience, and enhance expertise to extend security.

West Virginia’s CSED waiver program supplies eligible kids and youths with severe behavioral or psychological well being wants with a variety of intensive behavioral well being companies and helps. The objective of this system is to help kids with extreme emotional issues by serving to them stay with their households, of their properties and communities, with a help community, whereas receiving the companies they should enhance outcomes.

“In 2019, earlier than the State started constructing extra community-based capability by way of holistic and coordinated CSED waiver companies, Pressley Ridge served a bigger proportion of youth in residential remedy applications,” stated Angie Hamilton Thomas, govt director, Pressley Ridge West Virginia/Virginia. “With the assistance of Aetna and different stakeholder funding, we’ve been in a position to cut back the variety of kids in residential care and improve community-based companies. In the present day, 80% of our former high-acuity, residential shoppers are actually residing with household/independently or have stepped-down their service depth because of experiencing enchancment in functioning, and of these discharged, 100% reported a rise in well-being.”

“Aetna has long-been concerned in offering options that impression the state’s little one welfare system and the youth and households we serve by way of the Specialised Managed Take care of Kids and Youth contract in West Virginia,” stated Todd White, CEO, Aetna Higher Well being of West Virginia. “Pressley Ridge has been a valued collaborator, serving probably the most advanced instances by way of forward-thinking, best-practice approaches and the best requirements of trauma-informed care. We look ahead to our continued relationship.”

An instance of Pressley Ridge’s work to create a seamless, supportive transition is clear by way of the case of Timothy*, an Aetna Higher Well being member in foster care who was the sufferer of intense, long-term abuse and who struggled with aggressive outbursts and a excessive diploma of dysregulation. Timothy got here to Pressley Ridge in a deeply medicated state after having been by way of a number of ranges of different remedy applications with out success. Upon arrival, Pressley Ridge’s medical staff labored carefully with Aetna Higher Well being care administration to considerably cut back his treatment and convey him to a extra responsive state. This allowed Timothy to raised take part in all phases of remedy and finally transition again to his household with CSED waiver supportive companies and correct community-based remedy planning in place.

Aetna Higher Well being of West Virginia is the only real managed care group for the state’s Specialised Managed Take care of Kids and Youth contract. The statewide contract covers the bodily and behavioral well being care companies for kids and youth within the foster care system and people receiving adoption help, in addition to kids within the CSED waiver program. The well being plan has administered CSED waiver applications for members in West Virginia since March 1, 2020.

*Identify modified to guard privateness

About Aetna Medicaid

Aetna Medicaid Directors LLC (Aetna Medicaid), a CVS Well being firm, has over 30 years of expertise managing the care of probably the most medically weak, utilizing progressive approaches and a neighborhood presence in every market to attain each profitable well being care outcomes and efficient value outcomes. Aetna Medicaid has explicit experience serving high-need Medicaid members, together with those that are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. At the moment, Aetna Medicaid owns and/or administers Medicaid managed well being care plans underneath the names of Aetna Higher Well being and different affiliate names. Collectively, these plans serve roughly 2.8 million individuals in 16 states, together with Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. For extra data, see www.aetnabetterhealth.com.

About CVS Well being

CVS Well being® is the main well being options firm, delivering care like nobody else can. We attain extra individuals and enhance the well being of communities throughout America by way of our native presence, digital channels and over 300,000 devoted colleagues – together with greater than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever and at any time when individuals want us, we assist them with their well being – whether or not that’s managing persistent ailments, staying compliant with their medicines or accessing reasonably priced well being and wellness companies in probably the most handy methods. We assist individuals navigate the well being care system – and their private well being care – by enhancing entry, decreasing prices and being a trusted associate for each significant second of well being. And we do all of it with coronary heart, every day. Comply with @CVSHealth on social media.

Media contact

Aetna
Robert Joyce
joycer@aetna.com