Press Releases: Georgia
February 3, 2012
Kaiser Permanente Athens Medical Office Celebrates Grand Opening
Good Neighbor Grant of $10,000 to be awarded to Wholesome Wave Georgia for use at the Athens Farmers Market
ATLANTA — Dozens of leaders in the Athens community came out Friday to celebrate the grand opening of Kaiser Permanente of Georgia’s newest addition — the Athens Medical Office. Located at 2142 West Broad St. in Building 200, the $3.5 million facility opened to patients in January.
“We wanted to bring the full value of Kaiser Permanente to Athens-Clarke County,” said Kerry Kohnen, president of Kaiser Permanente of Georgia. “Many of our member groups have offices here. Now, they can benefit from our coordinated care model and electronic medical record system, which enable us to provide higher quality health care.”
GEORGIA EXPANSION INITIATIVE
The Athens Medical Office is Kaiser Permanente of Georgia’s first location outside of metro Atlanta and the 12th medical office to open as part of its ongoing expansion. The organization, which serves more than 240,000 members statewide, provides both health insurance and medical care.
Staffed by physicians of The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, which cares exclusively for Kaiser Permanente members, the Athens Medical Office offers adult medicine and pediatrics. Additional specialties may be added.
The 13,000-square-foot medical office includes exam and procedure rooms, a laboratory and an on-site pharmacy. Basic radiology services are also available. Kaiser Permanente invested $3.5 million in interior construction, furniture and medical and IT equipment to create a unique total health environment that nurtures the mind, body and spirit in sickness and in health.
Kaiser Permanente is Georgia’s largest non-profit health plan. In honor of the Athens Medical Office’s grand opening, Kaiser Permanente donated $10,000 to Wholesome Wave Georgia. This Good Neighbor Grant will increase access to healthy food for low-income individuals by doubling the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients’ benefits used at the Athens Farmers Market.
“Kaiser Permanente moving into Athens benefits the community,” said Jan Kozak, assistant program director of Wholesome Wave Georgia and manager of the Athens Farmers Market. “That $10,000 grant actually represents $20,000 in business for the Athens Farmers Market. It helps low-income people buy fresh, organic, locally-grown produce, which they typically would not be able to afford.”
Since late 2009, Kaiser Permanente Georgia has opened new medical offices in Atlanta, Lawrenceville, Snellville, Conyers, Fayetteville, Newnan, Douglasville, East and West Marietta, Holly Springs and Decatur. The addition of the Athens Medical Office will bring to 29 the number of Kaiser Permanente facilities in Georgia.
About Kaiser Permanente of Georgia
Kaiser Permanente is Georgia’s largest not-for-profit health plan. Its mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves. Kaiser Permanente serves more than 240,000 members in a 28-county service area in metro-Atlanta with care focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists, and team of heath care providers. Expert and caring medical teams are supported by industry-leading technology and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Nationally, Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers, serving more than 8.8 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.kp.org.
