Press Releases: National
May 23, 2007
Kaiser Permanente and Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions Establish Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Institute at National Labor College
Silver Spring, Md. and Oakland, Calif. – headquartered Kaiser Permanente, America's largest integrated health plan, and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, are jointly donating $450,000 to the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Maryland, to fund the Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Institute, a program dedicated to educating labor leaders and union members on health care issues. It is thought to be the first such grant from a major health care provider to an institution serving the labor community.
Arthur M. Southam, MD, Kaiser Permanente executive vice president of health plan operations, described the establishment of the Institute as historically fitting. "Kaiser Permanente has a long-standing commitment to providing coordinated, quality health care to workers and their families, a mission that has been sustained by our solid relationship with the labor community. The creation of the Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Institute in collaboration with the National Labor College will promote understanding of the challenges facing our current health care system and provide labor leaders and other students with the knowledge and skills for driving the effort to make affordable, quality health care available to every American."
John August, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, said, "In this time of health care reform debate, among the topics that get lost is the question of how care will be delivered. No organization knows more about delivering high-quality health care than Kaiser Permanente, and that knowledge will be a critical element in the education of National Labor College students for many, many years."
Ten years ago, Kaiser Permanente entered into a unique labor-management partnership that now involves more than 120,000 union, management and physician employees. The partnership is credited with creating a workforce that is focused on enhancing quality of care and service, improving frontline performance and making Kaiser Permanente a better place to work. According to company and college spokespersons, the grant to the NLC grew out of discussions between leaders of the partnership.
The Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Institute at the NLC (KPHI/NLC) will include courses focusing on health care bargaining and issues affecting the health care industry in the global economy. College officials will make the courses available individually, but they are also considering plans to create a curriculum that can lead to a certificate in health care. In addition, the KPHI/NLC will sponsor conferences on key issues in health care drawing in expert speakers. The first is being planned for this October.
"Workers today face a complex and fast-paced health care industry, insurance options that frequently change with the market and a growing need to understand the health care industry when they sit at the bargaining table," said Susan J. Schurman, President, the National Labor College. "Thanks to Kaiser's support, we are delighted to be able to offer this important curriculum to our students.".
About the Labor Management Partnership
Kaiser Permanente's unique Labor Management Partnership — the largest and most comprehensive partnership of its kind — was formed in 1997. Since then, the Labor Management Partnership has launched hundreds of initiatives, from workplace safety improvements to large-scale organizational change, achieving measurable improvement in patient and employee satisfaction, quality and service scores, financial results, and operational efficiency. For more information, visit http://www.lmpartnership.org.
About the National Labor College
The National Labor College is the only accredited college in the world exclusively dedicated to educating union members, leaders, activists and staff. Originally founded by the AFL-CIO in 1969 as the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, the center became the NLC in 1997 offering upper level degree completion programs for union members seeking to finish their college education. The NLC offers a unique combination of fully online courses along with partially online program with a low-residence on-campus component that allow full-time workers with families maximum flexibility to schedule study time. The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an independent, regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
