Kaiser Permanente Announces More Than $1 Million In Local Health Grants

Thirty-two Santa Clara County social services and community non-profits will receive Community Benefit grants from Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara and San Jose, the HMO announced in July. This year’s grants add up to $1,025,000.

Each year, Kaiser Permanente awards Community Benefit grants are awarded to local non-profit organizations whose programs support the HMO’s mission in four areas: access to medical care, behavioral health, healthy eating and active living, and violence prevention.

Good health isn’t just about medical care, according to Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Senior VP and Area Manager Chris Boyd. It’s also about investing in health-promoting communities. “It’s our total health perspective that allows us to impact change beyond our hospital walls,” Boyd said in a statement.

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The list of Santa Clara County-based grant recipients grant recipients testifies to this breadth of perspective. They include Bill Wilson Center, YMCA Project Cornerstone, LifeMoves (formerly Inn Vision), Second Harvest Food Bank, the Portuguese Organization for Social Services and Supports (POSSA) and the Children’s Discovery Museum.

“We are extremely excited to be partnering with such a diverse set of organizations,” said the HMO’s South Bay Community Benefit Manager Steve Wahl.

From its start in the 1930s, Kaiser Permanente has focused illness prevention as well as medical treatment. In 2005, the HMO launched its Community Health Initiative to foster health-promoting environments by supporting local non-profits delivering services to meet local needs. Today, Kaiser Permanente awards nearly $2 billion in grants nationally to hundreds of community non-profits.

“Our commitment to care innovation, health education and the support of community health is essential to the advancement of our mission,” said Irene Chavez, Senior VP and Area Manager Kaiser Permanente San Jose.

For more information about Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit program, visit tinyurl.com/kpcommunitybenefit.