Kaiser Permanente's Latino Employee Resource Group Honored as Among Top in the Nation by U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente Latino Association Northern California has been recognized by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as among the top five employee resource groups in the nation. This is the second year Kaiser Permanente has placed in the top five.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130718/SF49717LOGO)

The announcement was made last week at the Latino Employee Resource Group Summit and Corporate Challenge at the USHCC 34th Annual National Convention in Chicago. Kaiser Permanente was the only health care delivery system to make the list.

Now in its fourth year, the Summit brings together corporate America's top employee resource groups to share best practices, fostering a culture of learning and healthy competition. 

KPLA was judged against more than 30 other corporate employee resource groups based on four key areas: career advancement of Latino professionals, alignment of Latino initiatives and corporate objectives, community involvement, and cultural Latino advancement within the organization. Other organizations that were honored include AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Ford and General Electric.

"Being recognized by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for the second year in a row is a tremendous honor," said Melissa Aboytes, president of KPLA Northern California. "We're proud to be recognized for our work, serving as advocates for our Latino employees, members and communities."

This award follows the recent news that Kaiser Permanente ranked No. 6 on the list of Top 50 Best Companies for Latinas in the United States, as rated by LATINA Style Magazine.

"What differentiates KPLA is the balance impact it makes on behalf of Kaiser Permanente. They help employees advance their careers, support community outreach efforts, provide Latino insights to the organization, and help Kaiser Permanente to provide culturally competent care," said Robert Rodriguez, PhD, chairman of the 2013 Latino ERG Summit and Corporate Challenge. "KPLA is truly a next-generation employee resource group."

KPLA's mission is to attract, inspire and support Latinos to achieve their full potential at all levels within Kaiser Permanente. KPLA offers its members a range of personal and professional development opportunities including networking, career development trainings, volunteerism, scholarships and more. All of KPLA's activities have the full endorsement of senior leadership.

Since its inception in Northern California in 1991, KPLA's membership has grown to more than 1,200 members. Kaiser Permanente has KPLA chapters in California, Colorado, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

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, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9.1 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal 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: kp.org/share.

For more information:
Amy Wang, [email protected], 510-267-2872

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente