In the early days of the home antigen kit testing for COVID-19, Kaiser Permanente’s Rockville Regional Lab and Pharmacy worked closely to distribute the test kits to our members in need. However, as the pandemic evolved, so did the demand for the kits. A surplus of kits and materials that otherwise would have expired were left to distribute.
Rather than disposing the kits, Kaiser Permanente’s Community Health team partnered with salon and barbershop owners involved with their Good Health & Great Hair and GoVAX initiatives, as well as other community-based organizations to provide 9,400 kits in communities across the Greater Washington, D.C. and Greater Baltimore regions, at no cost. Among the partners to receive the kits were the following organizations:
- 5,000 to Kaiser Permanente’s Mobile Health Vehicle, which deploys in each of Kaiser Permanente’s service areas.
- 1,000 to the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, VA, which distributed tests to each woman in their sewing program and donors who came to their blood drive, among others including their staff and visitors.
- 500 to the Medical Care for Children Partnership Foundation in Springfield, VA, including 200 which were handed out to individuals and families at a food distribution in the Culmore community in Fairfax, VA.
- 400 to the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless in Rockville, MD.
- 400 to the Greater Riverdale Health Fair in Riverdale, MD.
- 300 to Baltimore County Public Schools including Hazelwood Elementary School and Wellwood International School.
- 300 to Second Story’s Community Based Services, a youth-based organization in Vienna, VA.
- 200 for the grand opening of the Bon Secours Community Resource Center in West Baltimore, MD, as giveaway items to the community.
- 200 to Tiarra “Tee” Davis, salon owner of 1400 Beauty Bar in Baltimore, MD.
- 150 to Black Mental Health Alliance for Education and Consultation in Baltimore, MD.
- 100 to Ebenezer Church of God in Landover Hills, MD.
- 100 to Adrian Jackson, Allstars Barbershop owner in Baltimore, MD.
- 20 to Fayette Street Outreach, a community center in Baltimore, MD.
This recent donation is just one way that Kaiser Permanente is helping communities continue to protect themselves against COVID-19 and working to close gaps in access to important protective items like COVID-19 tests, masks, and hand sanitizer. Similarly, in March, the Community Health team acquired and distributed 11,664 Germ-X hand sanitizers to community-based organizations across the region focusing on schools in Prince George’s and Baltimore counties and two of our healthcare partners: Unity HealthCare and the Medical Care for Children Partnership Foundation.
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 12.4 million members in eight 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. https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/
