Press Releases: National
February 27, 2002
Noted health care expert Raymond J. Baxter to lead Kaiser Permanente's community benefit program
Baxter’s extensive health care, strategic experience will take Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to community benefit to the next level
OAKLAND, Calif. – Kaiser Permanente announced today that noted health care leader Raymond J. Baxter, PhD, will become the health care organization’s new executive vice president of community benefit starting in March. In this position, Baxter’s leadership will provide guidance and direction to Kaiser Permanente’s $350 million annual community benefit program, improving the impact, visibility and benefit of the nonprofit organization’s social mission.
"While our current community benefit effort is extensive and in many ways effective, it does not have the impact it could and should have on the communities we serve and American health care overall," said David M. Lawrence, MD, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. "Ray Baxter’s appointment will help Kaiser Permanente organize and prioritize its community benefit activities, ensuring that our efforts have profound benefits for our communities and for our country."
Baxter was selected after an extensive search based on his more than 20 years of experience in health care management. Most recently, Baxter led The Lewin Group, a nationally known health research and consulting firm based near Washington, D.C. Previously, Baxter served as director of public health for the City and County of San Francisco and president of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. He has had a distinguished career in the fields of public health, health policy, health systems management, mental health and long term care. Baxter holds a PhD and an MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
Baxter will oversee Kaiser Permanente’s plan to organize its community benefit program, supported by a governance council made up of representatives from the health plan, medical group and labor entities of Kaiser Permanente. One of the program goals is to ensure that new and existing community benefit activities address four key areas effectively:
- Vulnerable Populations – Address the financing and delivery problems of populations vulnerable because of socioeconomic status, illness, ethnicity, age, or other factors.
- Evidence-based medicine – Develop and communicate the evidence basis for what medical care works, for which patients and populations, under what circumstances, at what costs, and with which delivery settings.
- Education -- Demonstrate and evaluate educational models for: 1) health professionals in an integrated health care system, and 2) health consumers in managing their own health and obtaining health care services.
- Public Policy – Develop and disseminate public policy information that reflects the interests of the nation as a whole.
- Community benefit activities and programs in recent years have included grants and donations, medical research and libraries, health professions training programs, educational programs for adults and children of all ages, and charitable care.
"Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to quality health care and community benefit are core values for the organization," Baxter said. "I look forward to working locally and nationally to develop those values into a focused, visible and influential community benefit program."
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.
