Press Releases: Mid-Atlantic States
January 21, 2011
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States Awarded Over $35 Million in Charitable Contributions in 2010
Funding Largely Focused on Scholarship Programs, Access to Healthy Foods, and Providing Access to Health Care to the Uninsured
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, the area’s largest not-for-profit health plan and care provider, announced today that its 2010 charitable contributions topped $35 million. Approximately $25 million was used for direct medical care and insurance coverage for uninsured and underserved residents of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, and another $10 million in grants, donations and sponsorships went to organizations that support the health of the region.
The grants and donations focused on expanding access to health care services for underserved and uninsured individuals throughout the region, supporting the education of future generations of health care professionals, and increasing access to fresh, nutritious food and physical activity. Approximately 120 organizations received funding in 2010.
“At Kaiser Permanente, we are committed to working with our community partners to invest in long-term, sustainable improvements to health and behavior throughout the region,” said Carrie Harris-Muller, chief administrative officer for Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States. “The number of large grants we awarded in 2010 speaks to that commitment and to our belief that many of our local nonprofits are implementing strong programs that, over time, can indeed contribute to making total health a reality for everyone.”
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States’ key contributions for 2010 are listed below.
Charitable Health Care
In 2010, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States devoted about $25 million to provide subsidized health care and insurance coverage for 9,100 low-income and uninsured individuals in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
- Kaiser Permanente’s Bridge Plan is a comprehensive health coverage plan for qualified low-income and uninsured individuals in the greater Baltimore-Washington area. The Bridge Plan provides rich benefits for up to three years, with member premiums subsidized up to 95 percent by Kaiser Permanente. In 2010, Bridge Plan membership increased by approximately 4,100 members.
- Medical Care for Children Partnerships is a unique public/private collaboration that provides care and coverage to the metro area’s uninsured children. Kaiser Permanente’s community partners help to identify uninsured children who are eligible for the public health care programs. Kaiser Permanente provides direct medical service to children enrolled in the program at its medical centers. In 2010, the Frederick County Health Department joined as a partner.
Safety Net Partnership Grants
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States provided $3.7 million in Safety Net Partnership Grants in 2010 to improve and expand access to health care for the uninsured and underserved in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Funding included:
- $250,000 to the Loudoun Community Health Center, to provide access to comprehensive, cost-effective primary and preventive health care and related services, to anyone in need, regardless of ability to pay. The grant funds will help address the increasingly low-income, immigrant, young population in Loudoun County, Va.
- $200,000 to The Community Clinic located in Rockville, Md., to construct and equip its first comprehensive dental health program. The dental program will benefit individuals in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties who are under-insured or uninsured.
- $150,000 to the Greater Prince William Community Health Center, to support the Healthy Kids for a Healthy Community program, which provides prenatal care for expectant mothers, immunizations for newborns, and primary and dental care for newborns through 18 year olds in Prince William County, Va.
- $150,000 to People Encouraging People of Baltimore, to support Project OPEN, a mobile treatment service offered to individuals at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or who have lost coverage for their HIV/AIDS treatment.
- $150,000 to The Gaston & Porter Health Improvement Center, Inc. of Washington, DC, to support the Prime Time Sister Circle, a 12-week, facilitated, curriculum-based, train-the-trainer support group that educates women about health-risk factors such as unmanaged stress, physical activity and poor nutrition, and empowers them to make health their first priority.
Community Health Initiatives
In 2010, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States awarded $2.4 million to organizations to support long-term, sustainable initiatives that seek to measurably improve health by addressing specific community health needs throughout the region. Funding included:
- $264,800 to the Associated Black Charities of Baltimore, to launch Get Fresh Baltimore, a community awareness and engagement campaign that addresses the obesity epidemic in Baltimore. The campaign aims to educate families about fresh food sources located in neighborhoods throughout the city and to encourage community engagement in food access issues. The Get Fresh Baltimore campaign is a partnership between the Associated Black Charities, the City of Baltimore, Fox45/WBFF and Kaiser Permanente.
- $198,000 to CommonHealth ACTION in Washington, DC, to provide training, facilitation, technical assistance and evaluation to support the Port Towns Community Health Partnership in Prince George’s County, Md., which is working to improve neighborhood settings that impact health and create a model for community wellness in the region.
- $150,000 to the Food Research and Action Center, for the D.C. Hunger Solutions initiative, which strives to create a hunger-free community in Washington, DC and improve the nutrition, health, economic security and well-being of low-income residents. D.C. Hunger Solutions will address the District of Columbia’s alarming rates of hunger and obesity, by supporting the implementation of the Healthy Schools Act, landmark legislation designed to improve the health, wellness and nutrition of more than 74,000 students attending public and public charter schools in Washington, DC.
- $150,000 to Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore, to fund its Healthy Living Academy, which, in partnership with Coppin State University, will train 50 college students to run a health education program targeting 300 Baltimore children who are at risk for obesity.
- $100,000 to Parks Heights Renaissance, Inc. of Baltimore, in support of their “Open Space Strategy,” which strives to develop and beautify vacant lots for gardens and fresh vegetable harvesting, in Park Heights, a designated food desert. The grant will help fund the redevelopment and restoration of two urban gardens and one edible playground.
Developing and Disseminating Knowledge
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is committed to advancing health in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia through research, training and investing in the education of future generations of health care workers, and awarded approximately $1.5 million to organizations that share this same goal, including:
- $200,000 to five local colleges, a total commitment of $1 million, to fund scholarships for approximately 550 low-income nursing and allied health students at Baltimore City Community College, Montgomery College, Northern Virginia Community College, Prince George’s Community College and the University of the District of Columbia/Community College of the District of Columbia, to help bring hundreds of front-line health care professionals into the workforce.
- $100,000 to the Community Foundation of the National Capital Area, in support of the Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative, which helps low-income adults throughout the region obtain and retain jobs by investing in career pathways, policy and research advocacy, and capacity building.
Supporting the Community in Hard Economic Times
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is dedicated to making investments in short- and long-term strategies to help community members make it through the recession with access to healthy, nutritious foods. About $950,000 was awarded to local nonprofit organizations that provide access to healthy foods at local food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens around the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area. Among them:
- $350,000 to the Capital Area Food Bank, over two years, in support of its “Healthy Food Access in Action” program, which strives to increase the amount, consistency and variety of fresh produce available to vulnerable populations throughout the region.
- $150,000 to D.C. Central Kitchen, to support the development of their commissary building. This new facility will allow D.C. Central Kitchen to recover more fresh produce, prepare more nutritious meals, and increase service to the District of Columbia’s at-risk population.
- $90,000 to Bread for the City of Washington, DC, to fund the expansion of programs that provide fresh groceries, nutrition counseling and cooking classes to more than 10,000 low-income District of Columbia residents who would otherwise not have access to healthy foods.
Additional information about Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit programs can be found in the 2009 Community Benefit Annual Report.
About Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, provides and coordinates complete health care services for almost 500,000 members through 30 medical office buildings in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, founded in 1980, is a total health organization composed of 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 approximately 1,000 physicians who provide or arrange care for patients throughout the area. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is considered one of Maryland’s “Top HMOs,” according to the Maryland Health Care Commission. The health plan was ranked in the nation’s 100 top commercial health plans and 15 top Medicare health plans — and the #1 Medicare plan for Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC — by the U.S. News & World Report/NCQA’s “America’s Best Health Insurance Plans 2009-10.” For more information about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, visit www.kp.org.
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, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal 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. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
