This year, for National Volunteer Month, Kaiser Permanente employees and their families proudly committed 356 hours to caring for our environment and serving our communities across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
In partnership with the following community-based organizations, our physicians and staff were encouraged to bring their family and friends to assist with tree maintenance, clean-ups, and restoration efforts at local parks, rivers, and youth play spaces, including:
- Fairfax County’s Parks & Planning in Fairfax, VA to clean up the Scotts Run Nature Preserve.
- Patapsco Heritage Greenway in Ellicott City, MD to clear invasive plants and to help with trash removal at the Patapsco Watershed; and to support tree maintenance including the clearing of brush and caring for newly planted saplings at Patapsco Valley State Park.
- Alice Ferguson Foundation in Accokeek, MD to support the 35th Annual Potomac River Cleanup at Piscataway Park.
- Anacostia Watershed Society in Bladensburg, MD to pick-up trash and restore areas of the Anacostia River for their largest annual volunteer event.
On April 22, Kaiser Permanente joined thousands of volunteers for the Anacostia Watershed Society’s Earth Day Cleanup, not only to restore the Anacostia River but to address the disparate impacts of environmental pollution in marginalized communities. The Anacostia River, which flows through predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods in DC, has been heavily polluted for decades and has become a priority for local environmental justice advocates.
“We have a duty to limit our environmental footprint,” said our Regional President Ruth Williams-Brinkley. “And, at Kaiser Permanente, we have a deep commitment to being more environmentally conscious and leading in this work.”
Volunteer programs are an integral part of Kaiser Permanente’s mission to improve the total health of our members and their communities, as well as promote healthy, social interactions. And we look forward to partnering more with community organizations for one-time or ongoing volunteer opportunities each year.
See more photos from the events below.
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 almost 12.5 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
