Colorado schools receive $196,000 to address health needs

DENVER — The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the landscape of our state’s schools and school communities. Schools have had to adapt to new methods of teaching, connecting with students, distributing school meals to those in need, and new levels of stress in teachers and staff. Kaiser Permanente is providing $196,000 to 8 Colorado school districts to support the ongoing work of improving health for teachers, staff, students, and communities during these challenging times.

“Kaiser Permanente is proud to provide this funding and support to districts across our state to help them meet the evolving academic and health needs of students, staff, and teachers,” said Michael Ramseier, regional president of Kaiser Permanente in Colorado.

The funding is part of Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools work and supports the rollout of a new playbook called Planning for the Next Normal at School. The playbook, created in collaboration with more than 30 nationally recognized and trusted school health organizations, includes 6 chapters called starter plays. Each section includes actionable steps for schools and district leaders to improve health in both in-person and virtual school environments.

The chapters include:

• Mental Health and Well-Being
• COVID-19 Prevention
• Social Drivers of Health, which covers institutional racism, food insecurity, access to health care, homelessness, and financial security
• Physical Activity, Physical Education, and Health Education
• Staff and Teacher Well-Being
• Funding and Family Engagement

“This grant from Kaiser Permanente will allow the Jeffco Healthy Schools department to continue our work of offering best practice health and wellness services to our students and staff. Jeffco Healthy Schools has partnered with the Jeffco Physical Education Department and the Jeffco Title I Department to use this grant funding to deliver staff professional learning and student materials that promote physical and emotional wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. We greatly appreciate the support from Kaiser Permanente to continue this work,” said Fran Taffer, coordinator of Healthy Schools program for Jeffco Public Schools.

Each district was awarded $24,500 to activate one or more of the starter plays in its schools. Here is a list of the 8 districts that received funding from Kaiser Permanente:

• Jefferson County School District
• Adams 12 School District
• District 27J
• Colorado Springs School District 11
• Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8
• Harrison School District 2
• Weld County School District 6
• Colorado Charter School Institute

The newly announced funding for these 8 districts is the latest support Kaiser Permanente has provided schools across Colorado. The state’s largest nonprofit health plan also provided 5 local school districts $1.5 million for increasing mental health support and COVID-19 prevention for school communities. Kaiser Permanente has also started offering schools a unique virtual platform for learning about, identifying, and living with mental health needs.

All of this work to support school communities is part of Kaiser Permanente’s long-standing commitment to improving the health of its communities. Throughout its 50-year history in Colorado, Kaiser Permanente has provided more than $1 billion in support for local nonprofit agencies, school districts, and municipalities to help make Colorado healthier.

About Kaiser Permanente

For 75 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to shaping the future of health and health care — and helping our members, patients, and communities experience more healthy years. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Since July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente’s mission has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.