Kaiser Permanente awarded $520,000 in grants to 13 community organizations and nonprofits in Q3 2022 to advance health equity. The recent grants, which are being given to organizations in Washington, DC; Virginia; and Maryland; address social factors that can impact a person’s total health, such as food security, access to safe housing, thriving schools, and economic opportunity.
The funds will support programs and resources for critical community organizations, allowing them to expand the impact of social services in the region. In addition to addressing the social factors that impact a person’s health, many of these community partners focus on improving access to affordable, high-quality health care. Evidence shows that social determinants of health are also contributing factors of health inequities in communities throughout this region.
“Kaiser Permanente is proud to support these impactful community organizations that are essential to the health and well-being of the region. Working together with these organizations, we hope to advance health and create opportunities for people in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia,” said Ondrea McIntyre-Hall, senior director of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente, Mid-Atlantic. “Good health begins with healthy environments: access to fresh produce, successful schools, affordable housing, and safe neighborhoods; and these grants will help us address these social determinants of health in our region.”
The latest grants will support the following organizations and initiatives throughout the Mid-Atlantic region:
- Baltimore’s Promise: Supports the Grads2Careers Career Readiness Pre-Training and Support which provides recent graduates with free job training and employment opportunities in Baltimore, MD.
- Chase Brexton Health Center: Supports the Expansion of Remote Patient Monitoring Program by sharing best practices around diabetes management and remote patient monitoring with staff in Greater Baltimore, MD.
- Clifton Park Baptist Church: Conducts a feasibility study of Clifton Park Baptist Church Housing Development in Silver Spring, MD.
- Dar Al Hijrah: Provides financial support for career transitions for refugees now living in Northern Virginia.
- Food for Others: Provides weekend meal packs to students experiencing food insecurity at 43 Fairfax County, VA public schools. Meal packs enable students to enjoy their weekends with peace of mind, knowing that they won’t go into school on Monday hungry.
- Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc.: Educates tenants, promotes affordable housing, and prevents displacement of residents in low-income and immigrant neighborhoods along the Purple Line in Montgomery County, MD and Prince George’s County, MD.
- Loudoun Free Clinic: Supports the Community Health Navigation Initiative which provides free access to primary care for underserved residents in Loudoun County, VA.
- Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care: Expands Mary Center’s Bilingual Health Access Project, which ensures that Latinx, Black, and immigrant communities have access to the highest quality of care. Through providing culturally competent care, Mary’s Center helps their patients in the District of Columbia achieve and maintain quality health outcomes.
- Maryland Reentry Resource Center: Launches the Restoration Resource Workforce Initiative, which will provide technical and soft skills training to formerly incarcerated, returning citizens in Anne Arundel County, MD.
- Passion and Compassion: Expands the Free, Nutritious Food Distribution Network that provides fresh produce and other groceries to anyone who is experiencing hunger in Prince George’s County, MD and beyond.
- Paul’s Place: Supports the Reducing Food Insecurity in Southwest Baltimore project that will distribute at least 10,000 healthy meals to food insecure individuals and families.
- South Baltimore Learning Works: Provides financial literacy coaching and training through the National Financial Health Initiative for individuals in Baltimore City, MD.
- Trinity University: Funds scholarships for young leaders in the District of Columbia who have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a clinical (e.g., pharmacist, physician, practitioner, nurse) or non-clinical career in the healthcare industry.
“We are honored to partner with Kaiser Permanente to increase access to care in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area,” said Dr. Tollie B. Elliott, Sr., the chief executive officer of Mary’s Center. “This grant will help us promote health in underserved communities and provide high-quality healthcare, education, and social services to build better futures.”
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, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group 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 about.kp.org.
