LOUISVILLE, KY. – Goodwill Kentucky has received a $400,000 donation from Aetna Better Health of Kentucky to establish Career Skills Labs at three of the nonprofit’s Opportunity Centers. The organization celebrated the official opening of its first lab on Tuesday, July 21, located at the West Louisville Opportunity Center at 2820 West Broadway in Louisville.
The four-year investment will provide $100,000 annually from 2026 through 2029 and will support the creation of Career Skills Labs at Goodwill Kentucky’s Bowling Green and Somerset Opportunity Centers, in addition to the one in West Louisville. The donation will also help fund the wide range of workforce development and support services Goodwill Kentucky provides to give individuals a chance to take meaningful steps toward sustainable careers.
“This collaboration with Aetna Better Health of Kentucky represents an investment in people and their potential,” said Amy Luttrell, president and CEO of Goodwill Kentucky. “The Career Skills Labs will provide hands-on learning experiences that help our clients take meaningful steps toward employment; together, we are creating new opportunities for Kentuckians to achieve long-term success.”
The Career Skills Labs supported by Aetna Better Health of Kentucky will expand Goodwill Kentucky’s service offerings by providing soft-skills training, learning experiences and career exploration opportunities in health care and retail. The labs will feature a mock pharmacy and front store where participants can build pharmacy technician and customer service skills by practicing tasks such as filling prescriptions, assisting customers, managing inventory and conducting mock patient interactions. Through these real-world experiences, individuals can gain confidence, strengthen communication skills and develop connections that help prepare them for pharmacy technician, customer service and retail careers at CVS Health and across health care and retail sectors.
The investment reflects Aetna Better Health of Kentucky’s commitment to addressing social determinants of health, such as employment, education, housing and access to community resources. Through investments in workforce development and community-based programs, it aims to help create economic stability and healthier outcomes for Kentuckians.
“Aetna Better Health of Kentucky and CVS Health are proud to collaborate with Goodwill Kentucky to help equip our neighbors with the skills and confidence they need to pursue careers in health care and retail,” said Chris Lindy, CEO of Aetna Better Health of Kentucky. “We’re very excited to see these Career Skills Labs come to life. Real-world experience is critical in preparing people, and this program is going to be invaluable to participants. We know that communities depend on access to diverse opportunities to thrive, and these labs will help meet that need.”
Goodwill Kentucky’s Opportunity Centers provide free services to community members, including career coaching, job-readiness training, reentry services, digital and financial literacy education, connections to employment opportunities and more. The addition of the Career Skills Labs will further enhance these resources by creating immersive learning environments that prepare participants for success in today’s workforce.
To learn more about Goodwill Kentucky and its positive impact on the Commonwealth, visit goodwillky.org. For more information about Aetna Better Health of Kentucky, visit aetnabetterhealth.com/kentucky.
About Goodwill Kentucky
For more than 100 years, Goodwill Kentucky has helped Kentuckians find pathways out of poverty through the transformative power of work. Operating in 103 of Kentucky’s 120 counties, Goodwill Kentucky places over 3,000 Kentuckians into jobs each year through its 1,400-plus employer partners and its own retail stores. These life-changing opportunities are made possible through donations to Goodwill Kentucky stores and community support. The organization reinvests approximately 90 cents of every dollar earned in its retail stores into job training and workforce programs. When you give to Goodwill, you do a lot of good.
About Aetna Medicaid
Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC (Aetna Medicaid), a CVS Health company, has over 30 years of experience managing the care of under-resourced populations, using innovative approaches and a local presence in each market to achieve both successful health care results and effective cost outcomes. Aetna Medicaid has expertise serving high-need Medicaid members, including those who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Currently, Aetna Medicaid owns and/or administers Medicaid managed health care plans under the names of Aetna Better Health and other affiliate names. Together, these plans serve members in 15 states, including Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information, see www.aetnabetterhealth.com.
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a leading health solutions company simplifying health care one person, one family and one community at a time. As of March 31, 2026, the Company had approximately 9,000 retail pharmacy locations, more than 1,000 walk-in and primary care medical clinics and a leading pharmacy benefits manager with approximately 88 million plan members. The Company also serves an estimated more than 37 million people through a broad range of health insurance products and related services. The Company’s integrated model uses personalized, technology driven services to connect people to simply better health, increasing access to quality care, delivering better outcomes, and lowering overall costs.