Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Grants Nearly $1M in Silicon Valley

The following was submitted for publication on behalf of Kaiser Permanente:

31 health and well-being non-profit organizations in the Silicon Valley will receive nearly $1 million in Community Benefit grants from Kaiser Permanente’s two medical centers serving the community, KP San Jose and KP Santa Clara. The grants are part of Kaiser Permanente’s mission to improve the health of the communities that KP serves.

The organizations provide community programs in healthy-eating-and-active-living, violence prevention, behavioral health services, and access to healthcare initiatives, said Jo Seavey-Hultquist, Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Manager.

The grant total in Santa Clara County is $978,000. Nationally, Kaiser Permanente grants nearly $2-billion dollars in Community Benefit programs.

“With the Kaiser Permanente grant, we will initiate anti-bullying programs in 4 San Jose schools,” said Rick Phillips, Executive Director of Community Matters, a group that works to provide school safety. “We’ll be able to train student leaders to become Safe School Ambassadors, who will work to actively identify, interrupt, de-escalate and prevent school bullying incidents.”

Studies have shown the effectiveness of the Safe School Ambassadors program. Kaiser Permanente is also supporting a school-based program newly implemented by the Mountain View Community Health Awareness Council, which will help to ameliorate student depression, fear and anxiety, self-harm, defiant behavior, and bullying.

“Kaiser Permanente is making important contributions to the wellness of kids in the community,” said Chris Boyd, Senior Vice President and Area Manager of the KP Santa Clara Medical Center. “The children we help today are going to be the future of the Silicon Valley.”

The Kaiser Permanente grants will also help support “Freshest Cargo,” a mobile Farmer’s Market which delivers healthy, fresh, and affordable fruits and vegetables to areas of the County not served by stores selling fresh food. Other grants will help support the Community Alliance with Family Farmers Foundation and the Second Harvest Food Banks in the area.

“Healthy Eating/Active Living is a long-time motto of Kaiser Permanente,” said Irene H Chavez, Senior Vice President and Area Manager of the KP San Jose Medical Center. “If we can help people eat right and get enough exercise, then we’ve made major strides in preventing illness and helping people.”