Aetna Member Story (Social Determinants of Health)

Aetna Care Coordinator Helps Family Meet Their Goals

Christina is a care coordinator with Aetna Better Health® of Illinois. When she began working with Adam and his family, Adam was not enrolled in school. He was also struggling with his weight. Adam’s mother was dealing with substance use issues and had a pending case with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Adam’s mother expressed a desire to address the substance use and be a better parent to keep her family together.

Christina coordinated with DCFS to find substance use support for Adam’s mother. She was nervous about getting help to address the substance use, parenting and other issues. Christina was able to help by sharing her positive experience working with the provider in the past.

With support from Christina, Adam’s mother began participating in substance use services as well as parenting classes. His mother registered Adam for school. Christina also helped her find creative ways to get Adam to eat vegetables — focusing on making small changes to his diet to improve his overall health. Christina checks in with the family regularly to provide encouragement and follow-up. The family continues to make progress toward their goals and as a result, the DCFS case has been successfully closed.

*Names changed to protect privacy