December 15, 2023
Building healthy communities through play
Kaiser Permanente teams up with Los Angeles Football Club to build 5 futsal courts for more than 3,400 students at Southern California schools.
LAFC team captain Carlos Vela (left) and Marlen Luna, MD, Family Medicine, East Los Angeles Medical Offices, talk about sports and physical well-being.
Since 2018, Kaiser Permanente has been Los Angeles Football Club’s official health partner and trusted provider of team physicians. We are proud that this partnership extends beyond the soccer field, as we work together to provide nutrition, fitness, and mental health programs for youth that build healthier communities.
In support of our commitment, we refurbished and created 26 futsal courts — small hard courts for soccer — across Los Angeles, opening 5 in 2023 alone. Carlos Vela, LAFC forward, and Marlen Luna, MD, Family Medicine, Kaiser Permanente East Los Angeles Medical Offices, helped celebrate the milestone fifth court opening by participating in the dedication ceremony at Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School. More than 70 students were in attendance and encouraged to embrace physical well-being through soccer.
“We are honored to collaborate with LAFC on our shared goal of encouraging play and improving the total health — mind, body, and spirit — of LA's youth." Michelle Gaskill-Hames, regional president, Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii
Physical activity is critical to youth development and community wellness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when children are physically active, academic performance and long-term health benefits are created, including improved memory and lowered risk for serious health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
"In the dense urban environment of Southern California, open space where children can play is at a premium, and we are thrilled to help bring these futsal courts to schools across the Greater Los Angeles Area," said Michelle Gaskill-Hames, regional president of Kaiser Permanente in Southern California and Hawaii. “We are honored to collaborate with LAFC on our shared goal of encouraging play and improving the total health — mind, body, and spirit — of LA's youth."
Since the beginning of our partnership, LAFC and Kaiser Permanente have teamed up to build futsal courts at schools, providing safe and accessible spaces where students can play. In 2023, Van Nuys Middle School, Telfair Elementary School, 24th Street Elementary School, Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, and Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School received new futsal courts. In addition to the more than 3,400 students at these schools, their families and the local communities will also benefit from the futsal courts.
“Due to the socioeconomic standing of some of our communities it may not be safe to go outside and get physical exercise. This puts our youth at risk for obesity,” said Dr. Luna. “These futsal courts are a long-term investment in the health of our youth and community.”
Kaiser Permanente is committed to building healthy communities where people live, learn, work, and play. We continue to work to improve the conditions for health and equity in the communities we serve.
