Press Releases: Mid-Atlantic States
December 15, 2006
Outreach Program Garners Mayor's Praise for Kaiser Permanente
ROCKVILLE, Md. – Kaiser Permanente was one of only eleven groups honored with the Mayor's Business Recognition Award at a luncheon hosted by Baltimore's Mayor Martin O'Malley, the Greater Baltimore Council, and the Baltimore Development Corporation today at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore.
Kaiser Permanente was awarded for its Bridge Plan, an outreach program that provides health coverage to 75 Baltimore city families in need. The Bridge Plan partners with the Baltimore City Department of Health to provide coverage for families without medical care due to extenuating circumstances.
"With today's crisis in health care the overall impact of the Bridge program is tremendous. Kaiser Permanente continues year-after-year to reach out to the community to meet the needs of this extremely vulnerable population," says Derek Barnett, director of community benefit, who received the award on behalf of Kaiser Permanente.
The Kaiser Permanente Bridge program is not designed to replace Medicare or Medicaid. It is designed for families facing short-term problems, such as a change in job status or income. Membership in the plan is limited and coverage lasts for two years at a maximum.
"Montgomery, Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties also participate in the program. Once a family reaches the two-year limit or leaves the plan because of new job status, another family immediately enters the program. Over the years, thousands of local residents have received health care through this unique program," states Sandra Gregg, vice president of communications and external relations for Kaiser Permanente.
Kaiser Permanente subsidizes 90-95% of the premium, based on the family's income, for health care coverage provided at a Kaiser Permanente Medical Center.
The Mayor's Business Recognition Awards honor local businesses that demonstrate significant corporate leadership and service to create stronger communities throughout Baltimore. Firms throughout the region are recognized for improving the quality of life in Baltimore City.
This year's award winners range from major corporations that assist city youth with career planning and job-readiness to an architectural firm that helped a community design a memorial for its fallen police officers.
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is a total health organization serving approximately 500,000 people in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Kaiser Permanente is composed of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features more than 900 physicians who provide or arrange care for patients throughout the area.
