In the Community

Jan 21 2008

Sixty Kaiser Permanente Volunteers Help Rebuild Gulf Coast

As part of an ongoing commitment to help rebuild the communities devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita three years ago, Kaiser Permanente is organizing a group of 60 employee and physician volunteers representing every Kaiser Permanente region, on two seven-day service projects focused on assisting people in the New Orleans and Biloxi, Miss., areas.

In cooperation with Points of Light & Hands On Network, Kaiser Permanente physicians and employees will work on various recovery projects including home rehabilitation, community resource restoration and environmental restoration. The two weeks of service in the Gulf Coast area represent the longest corporate commitment that Points of Light & Hands On Network has coordinated since Hurricane Katrina hit the region in August 2005.

"For more than 60 years, Kaiser Permanente has had a rich history of volunteerism that is at the heart of our mission to improve the lives of our members and the communities we serve," said Raymond J. Baxter, Ph.D., senior vice president of Community Benefit at Kaiser Permanente. "As part of that mission, we continue to honor the pledge we made in 2005 to help with the long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita."

Of the almost 700 Kaiser Permanente physicians and employees who applied to volunteer on the Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts, 60 were selected from a pool of the most highly qualified applicants. Volunteers representing all facets of the Kaiser Permanente employee base are willingly using their vacation time to help people in need.

For more information, read this news release.