Press Releases: Southern California
March 19, 2009
Los Angeles Dodgers Name Kaiser Permanente Official Health Insurance Partner
Collaboration of Dodgers and Kaiser Permanente Southern California to Benefit the Youth of the Los Angeles Community
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers and Kaiser Permanente Southern California announced a new collaboration today that makes Kaiser Permanente the “Official Health Insurance Partner” of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The agreement includes an innovative plan designed to benefit the Los Angeles community through such programs as the Dodgers Youth Baseball Camps and the “Team Think Blue” literacy program, along with traditional sponsorship marketing opportunities.
“We are proud to welcome Kaiser Permanente Southern California as a partner in the Dodger community,” said Dodger Vice President of Partnerships Steve Spartin. “We have laid the foundation for a long-term collaboration that Kaiser Permanente and the Dodgers will build on in years to come. Our new partner’s ‘total health’ message will not only reach millions of Dodger fans that visit Dodger Stadium during the 2009 season, but will also underscore Kaiser Permanente’s relationships and active presence within the Los Angeles community.”
The Dodgers and Kaiser Permanente are focusing their efforts on community initiatives for the benefit of the Dodgers Dream Foundation and will support activities such as the “Team Think Blue” literacy program and the Dodgers Youth Baseball Camps. The new relationship also will bring healthy food choice items recommended by Kaiser Permanente at select Dodger Stadium concession locations, along with health and fitness tips as part of the in-game DodgerVision programming.
“Kaiser Permanente and the Dodgers have a shared vision of excellence and community involvement that will improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” said Benjamin Chu, MD, MPH, president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California. “By joining efforts with the Dodgers, Kaiser Permanente will be able to reach more families with our messages about healthy eating and fitness, and together we can make positive changes that will improve the health of children and adults alike.”
Kaiser Permanente’s sponsorship of the Dodgers Youth Baseball Camps will include camp scholarships for 40 children from local Kaiser Permanente non-profit partners, and their sponsorship of “Jr. Dodgers” will bring fun activities to all the youngsters who signed up for the Dodgers free youth fan club.
One regular season Dodger Stadium promotional giveaway night will also be presented by Kaiser Permanente and be fully supported by Dodger television and radio partners. Kaiser Permanente will receive on-air advertising inventory with the Dodgers’ English radio partner KABC 790 AM and the Dodgers’ Spanish radio partner KHJ/La Ranchera 930 AM.
The “Team Think Blue” program, which includes an art and essay contest, helps students throughout Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Orange Counties improve their literacy and language arts while encouraging the development of a healthy and active lifestyle.
As part of the Team Think Blue program, teachers will receive a comprehensive curriculum manual that adheres to California education standards, and student copies of newspapers delivered to their classroom from March through May, free of charge. Teachers also receive copies of a supplemental parent guide to send home, which is available in both English and Spanish, to help educate parents as well on the importance of healthy habits for their families. Students can enter an art and essay contest for a chance to win Dodger tickets and an on-field experience. This year's program will reach more than 225,000 students from grades 4 through 12 in the five different counties.
The Dodgers will support Kaiser Permanente’s community initiatives with marketing and public relations efforts and will schedule special appearances by current and former Dodger players at various events currently in development. In recognition of Kaiser Permanente’s support for the Dodgers Dream Foundation, the Dodgers will also donate $100 to the foundation for every Dodger player walk during a regular season home game.
About the Los Angeles Dodgers
The National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, pioneers in sport and world culture have won more games, more pennants, and more World Series than any other club in the National League since moving to Los Angeles. Since the start of the modern era in baseball, the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, combined, have a cumulative attendance of more than 180 million, the highest total in the history of baseball or any other sport. Visit the Dodgers on the Internet at www.dodgers.com.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s leading integrated health plan, was founded in 1945, and is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Serving the health care needs of 3.3 million members in Southern California, Kaiser Permanente encompasses the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Southern California Permanente Medical Group, including nearly 56,000 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 6,400 physicians representing all specialties. For more info, visit kaiserpermanente.org.