Press Releases: Southern California
October 29, 2008
Kaiser Permanente Recognized for Hiring Youth for Summer Employment at Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Business Appreciation Breakfast
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Reaches Goal to Hire 10,000 Youth for Summer Jobs
PASADENA, Calif. – One of the limitations young job seekers face is the lack of real work experience. Not so for young people like 17-year-old Esmeralda Alvarez, who can now list summer employment at Kaiser Permanente as her first paying job. Alvarez is one of 16 students who participated in Kaiser Permanente's Summer Youth Employment Program at its Los Angeles Medical Center on Sunset Boulevard. They were among the 10,000 young people who recently completed HIRE LA's Youth Program, the City of Los Angeles' effort to train and place young adults between the ages of 16-24 in local employment for full- or part-time work.
Traveling from various areas of Los Angeles and Pasadena, 80 percent of the students, including Alvarez, took one to two buses to work. "In life, you will be faced with many hardships and obstacles," said Alvarez, who is from a single parent household with five siblings. "Life will judge you by the way you overcome them."
In the summer of 2006, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa created an employment recruitment program for youth, asking private and public corporations and nonprofits in Los Angeles to commit to 10,000 summer jobs for young people. "When Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made his call to action, Kaiser Permanente enthusiastically answered," said Vicki Bittle, Kaiser Permanente's representative on the Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board. "Our program provides underserved high school students with supportive and meaningful employment experiences in the health care field. This community benefit program employs young people during the summer months throughout the organization."
On October 27, at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce offices, a HIRE LA's Youth Business Appreciation Breakfast honored employers who stepped up to find and create employment and internship opportunities. "The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce applauds Kaiser Permanente for participating in the HIRE LA's Youth program," said Gary Toebben, president and CEO, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. "By providing youth with employment opportunities, Kaiser Permanente is helping to develop the 21st century workforce."
The students gained experience in various departments in the hospital and accompanied nurses and physicians on their morning rounds. In addition to their work assignments, the youth participated in educational sessions and motivational workshops that introduced students to pursuing a career at Kaiser Permanente in addition to enhancing their job skills and work performance. Many former SYEP students are now employed with the organization as nurses, department administrators, lab technicians, opticians and engineers.
"Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles Medical Center has been involved with the SYEP for nine years now, but this was our first year working with the HIRE LA Youth Program," said Kathleen McIntire, who is both the medical center's Director of Volunteer Services and the Kaiser Permanente L.A.U.N.C.H. On-Site Coordinator for the SYEP. "This was my first graduating class of summer youth and I couldn't have asked for a better group of kids," adds McIntire. "We continue to keep in touch and give them advice and guidance."
To encourage the students to continue their path for higher education, five of the students received a $1,000 scholarship from Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles Medical Center. The recipients met the following criteria: attendance, test scores, team participation, and final presentation score. The recipients were Esmeralda Alvarez, Alixis Hoare, Gabriella Quintanilla, Nita Schaeffer, and Mary Tang. Three out of the five were from the HIRE LA Youth Program. Kaiser Permanente Southern California has pledged to hire 40 youth in 2009.
HIRE LA's Youth increased the goal to 15,000 summer jobs by June 30, 2009. HIRE LA Youth's is a partnership composed of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles City Council, the Los Angeles Community Development Department, and the State of California Employment Development Department, among others. For more information about Kaiser Permanente's SYEP, call (626) 405-5395, or for the HIRE LA's Youth program, go to www.HIRELAYouth.com.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation's leading integrated health plans. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 3.3 million members in Southern California. Today it encompasses the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region includes more than 55,800 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 6,400 physicians representing all specialties. More information about Kaiser Permanente can be found at kaiserpermanente.org.