Press Room

Aetna strives to ensure a good working relationship with the media and the public through professionalism and mutual respect. Aetna is committed to and recognizes the right of the news media and the general public to be fully and accurately informed on all matters concerning public safety.

To provide greater availability of useful information in a shorter period of time, please use the following guidelines to obtain information.

For media inquiries please call or email:

Robert Mara
Operations and Business Manager
860-247-6792 x107
Email Robert Mara

Jason Bak
Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager
860-647-9798 x249 (office)
Email Jason Bak

The company president is solely responsible for the release of information related to the company and has designated the Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager as the official spokesperson for Aetna. Depending on the specific circumstances, the president may designate another Aetna employee, manager, or director to serve as a spokesperson on a particular issue.

The Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager conveys Aetna’s official position on issues of general impact or significance or situations that are of a particularly controversial or sensitive nature. In the event of a crisis or emergency, the Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager will handle all contacts with the media and will coordinate the information flow from Aetna to the public. All departments should refer calls from the media to the Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager.

After Hours
Between the hours of 9:00 pm and 6:00 am, incident-related inquiries should be made into the dispatch center. The Dispatcher will take the caller’s name and information which will be forwarded to the Supervisor. The Supervisor will contact the Director of Operations or designee and the Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager by phone with the request.

Aetna employees are not to make verbal or written statements or displays concerning company affairs to any media source or anyone outside Aetna without the consent of the company president and Director of Operations This includes requests for information from the press, attorneys, and investigators or outside EMS agencies.

Public/Community Incident
If a major, mass casualty incident occurs in Aetna’s primary service area, such as a plane or bus crash, large scale multi-vehicle accident, natural disaster, the act of terrorism, etc. media and public inquiries will be directed to the police department, fire department or chief elected official for that particular town or the Connecticut State Police.

Hospital, Healthcare, or Facility Incident
If a major incident involves Aetna and a hospital or major healthcare or another facility, the company president, Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager, or another designee will contact the chief spokesperson for the facility to develop an incident-specific, joint media relations plan.

All incoming calls from, or contacts with television or radio stations, newspapers, magazines, or any other media source should be referred to the Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager. Permission for interviews with specific Aetna employees involved in a particular incident, or for public relations purposes, may be granted by the company president.

Release of Information
The Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager shall coordinate the release of all general information concerning Aetna policies and operations as well as specific statements on issues that might arise. Such information shall be conveyed to the media in a timely fashion, in deference to reporters’ deadlines.

Information Content
Reporter’s questions will be answered honestly and completely. Limited information will be provided while an incident or transport is still underway. The information provided to the media in response to inquiries regarding a specific response or transport will be general in nature, and limited to:

The number of people involved.
The emergency response assets on the scene.
The patient’s condition en route to the hospital.
To what facility any patients are being taken.

Information Will Not Be Released When the Request

Includes patient medical history of any kind or individually identifiable protected health information.
Is to provide the name of an employee when previously withheld or contains any personal information about a specific Aetna employee.
Is to provide the identity of any Aetna employee involved in a serious incident, such as a shooting, automobile accident, etc., until the investigating officer in charge has approved such release.
Is not from established and credentialed media outlets such as a newspaper, radio, or TV station.
Includes conjectural, theoretical, hypothetical, or unfounded information or is libelous or slanderous to a person or agency.

Field Responses by the Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager
When requested and able, the Business Development & Corporate Compliance Manager or designated spokesperson will respond to the scene of significant incidents to coordinate the release of information. The spokesperson will identify themselves to the media and present appropriate credentials.

Aetna will email appropriate photos upon request and review. This information can be used by the media to assist with breaking news stories and in return Aetna requests to be specifically recognized by name.

Due to strict HIPAA regulations and personal privacy laws, we will not provide any information that could identify a patient. The information we will provide will be general in nature, limited to the number of people involved, the emergency response assets on the scene, the patient’s condition en route to the hospital, and to what facility any patients are being taken. Limited information will be provided while an incident or transport is still underway. Please respect this request and hold your team accountable for it.

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