An $11 million investment to improve community health

OAKLAND, Calif. — Communities across the country will be getting a much-needed infusion of support for health-related programs and initiatives as a result of $11 million in funding pledged by Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated health system. The grant funding will be awarded in the coming weeks to a number of community-based and national charitable organizations serving the health and well-being of the 65 million people living in regions served by Kaiser Permanente.

Quarterly charitable contributions such as these are part of the significant community health investments Kaiser Permanente makes each year, which include funding for Medicaid, charitable health coverage, medical research and health education. In 2017, that investment totaled more than $2.8 billion.

“The needs of our communities have never been greater,” says Bechara Choucair, MD, Kaiser Permanente’s chief community health officer. “When it comes to health care in this country, we are at an inflection point. Some people have lost faith in the institutions and systems that are supposed to be there to help them. As a mission-driven organization, we are working to show our support beyond the hospital, providing health in people’s homes and neighborhoods.”

These first quarter grants are part of a continued effort Kaiser Permanente is making to deliver health beyond what traditional health care organizations can offer. Kaiser Permanente is integrating clinical care offerings with social service support, enhancing policies and neighborhoods to improve the conditions for health, and applying technology to create solutions to community problems.

What does this look like? Here are a few examples of Kaiser Permanente contributions:

• $4 million to help build and equip the William Jenkins Health Center, a new community health center operated by LifeLong Medical Center in downtown Richmond, California. The center will provide comprehensive primary, dental and mental health services to low-income residents. Kaiser Permanente is also lending its facilities services expertise to the health center’s design, construction and renovation.
• $2 million for HOME SF, via the San Francisco Foundation, to develop opportunities for inclusive, mixed-income housing and health programs that support economic and social vitality for low-income residents of San Francisco.
• $800,000 to the United Way of Ventura County, American Red Cross and the Santa Rosa Community Health Center to directly help people affected by the wildfires in Northern and Southern California who are without resources to support their own recovery.

“We are really listening to our communities and to what their priorities are,” says Dr. Choucair. “Our community partners are crucial to helping us identify where the need is greatest and working with us to develop solutions that will improve the lives of community residents in meaningful ways.”

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 12 million members in eight 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.