By Colin Kellaher 



  Cigna Corp. on Friday unveiled a five-year initiative aimed at combating systemic racism and improving equity and equality. 


  The Bloomfield, Conn., health-services company said its "Building Equity and Equality Program" will expand and accelerate efforts to support diversity, inclusion, equality and equity for people of color. 


  "Racism and discrimination are destructive forces in any society," said David Cordani, Cigna's president and chief executive. "We, as a global health service company, firmly and unequivocally denounce racism and discrimination in all forms and are committed to confronting these issues with intensity, empathy and accountability." 


  As part of the program, Cigna said it will work to reduce the gaps in health outcomes in communities with poor social determinants of health, such as unstable housing, low income, unsafe neighborhoods or education. 


  The company said it will now require unconscious bias training for all of its more than 75,000 employees, and that it plans cultural competency training for all managers as a supplement to its existing training requirements. 


  Cigna said it will continue to support businesses owned by minorities, adding that it is on track to achieve $1 billion in diverse supplier funding by 2025. 


  Cigna also said it is establishing a governance process to oversee the program elements while tracking and reporting on progress. 


  Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com