CIGNA (NYSE: CI) will be recognized by

the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition for its Working Well Moms

corporate lactation program tomorrow at an awards ceremony in Washington D.C.

For the first time the coalition is honoring corporate efforts, identifying

the CIGNA program as a Workplace Model of Excellence.

Awards are based on the history and unique attributes of company programs

and results data. “We created Working Well Moms in 1995 when our new mothers

asked for assistance in continuing to breast feed after returning from

maternity leave,” said Catherine Hawkes, CIGNA’s assistant vice president of

Employee Health. “The program has gone on to serve more than 1,000 mothers

and is available at 250 CIGNA offices across the country. Supporting a

program like this makes good sense for CIGNA not only because of the benefits

associated with breast feeding, but it also reflects positively on our

commitment to employee well being.

“One program feature that sets us apart from other offerings is our

commitment to providing a professional lactation consultant to mothers before

and after they give birth. Some women find breast feeding is not always easy

and having professional advice is very important,” Hawkes noted. “The program

also offers our mothers access to a hospital grade breast pump, refrigeration,

a carry case, all the supplies they need and of course a private room to pump.

We try to make it as easy as possible.”

The breast feeding duration rate of the Working Well Moms program is

72.5 percent at six months compared to a national average of 21.1 percent.

The program also exceeds Healthy People 2010 six-month objectives by nearly

25 percent. Healthy People 2010 is a series of health goals issued by the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. At one year, 36 percent of

women enrolled in Working Well Moms are still breast feeding, compared to a

national average of 10.1 percent. The Healthy People 2010 one-year goal is

25 percent.

The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition is a non-profit

organization providing an innovative forum for collaborative partnerships of

public and private organizations, employers, policymakers and consumers to

promote and improve culturally and linguistically appropriate services that

foster healthy mothers, healthy babies and healthy families.

CIGNA Corporation’s subsidiaries are leading providers of employee

benefits in the United States and serve selected international markets. Their

products and services include managed and indemnity health care coverage;

group life, accident and disability insurance; retirement services; and

investment management. As of December 31, 1999, CIGNA Corporation had

consolidated revenues of $18.8 billion, consolidated assets of $95.3 billion

and shareholders’ equity of $6.1 billion.