Operational Excellence

May 9, 2007

Award-Winning Kaiser Permanente Domestic Violence Prevention Program Featured in the Washington Post

Kaiser Permanente earned a recent mention in a Washington Post feature as one of several American companies setting high standards for domestic violence awareness and prevention.

Washington Post workplace columnist Amy Joyce listed Kaiser Permanente with Liz Claiborne, Verizon Wireless and State Farm as organizations that have successfully rolled out strong domestic violence prevention programs.

KP's award-winning Family Violence Prevention Program in Northern California has won praise both inside and outside Kaiser Permanente. Internally, the program has significantly raised awareness of domestic violence as a workplace issue through everything from brochures strategically placed in women's restrooms, to the award-winning "silentWitness" display honoring KP employees who overcame domestic violence in their own lives.

KP has extended its program to business partners such as Macy's, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Marriott, thus helping employees with those organizations be more aware of domestic violence issues and how to prevent them. Most importantly, KP's members in Northern California have benefited, as identification of Northern California members who have been affected by domestic violence has increased threefold since the program's creation in 2000. This increase has occurred largely through offices visits, rather than in the emergency department, which suggests that KP is helping people before more serious injuries can occur.

Domestic violence is a critical workplace issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the economic burden of domestic violence in the United States at $5.8 billion per year in medical costs and lost productivity. The CDC estimates that victims of severe domestic violence in the United States lose, each year, nearly 8 million days of paid work – equal to more than 32,000 full-time jobs.

Read more about KP's Family Violence Prevention Program online. Read Amy Joyce's May 6 column on the topic in the Washington Post (free registration required).