Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States Awarded Over $4.2 Million in Community Benefit Grants

First Quarter Funding Focused on Healthy Eating, Active Living, and Providing Health Care to the Uninsured

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, the area's largest nonprofit health plan and care provider, awarded $4.2 million in grants in the first quarter of 2011.  The grants focused on healthy eating and active living initiatives, increasing access to health care services for the uninsured and underinsured, and supporting infrastructure enhancements that improve service to underserved populations.  Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States' first quarter grant activity will help serve an estimated 1,350,856 people by supporting over 40 nonprofit organizations throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia which received funding.

"Our first quarter grant activity demonstrates Kaiser Permanente's commitment to our local nonprofit partners including safety net providers focused on implementing healthy eating, activity living initiatives that truly address the needs of the communities we serve across the Mid-Atlantic region, with the ultimate goal of shortening the health disparity gap and making total health a reality for everyone," said Carrie Harris-Muller, chief administrative officer for Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States.  

Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic State's contributions in the first quarter of 2011 included, but were not limited to, grants in the categories below:

Promoting Healthy Communities

• $135,000 to the Rails to Trails Conservancy in Washington, D.C., dedicated to creating a network of trails and enhancing the health of the environment, transportation, economy, neighborhoods, and people.
• $140,000 to Summit Health Institute for Research and Education (SHIRE) in Washington, D.C., to support an East of the River Urban Garden Initiative.
• $100,000 to the Washington AIDS Partnership to improve HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and care services in the region.
• $165,000 to Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, MD, for free multi-component exercise program designed for adults ages 55 and older. The program is offered at 20 locations throughout Montgomery and Prince George's counties and the District of Columbia.
• $95,000 to The Family League of Baltimore City to support a nutrition program focused on ending childhood hunger by providing children and youth access to healthy meals in the summer when school is closed.

Expanding Access to Health Care

• $95,000 to Casa de Maryland to support it's "Building for the future Campaign" which will expand its programs, improve effectiveness, and acquire a permanent space for the organization.
• $50,000 to CommonHealth ACTION of Washington, D.C., to change community conditions, measurably improve health outcomes and/or healthy behavior, and serve as a model community in terms of physical, social, environmental, and economic health in the Port Towns.  
• $83,000 to Healthy Howard Health Plan to provide access to a variety of health services including doctor visits and Emergency Room treatment, low-cost or free prescription medicine, and a personal health coach to uninsured residents of Howard County, MD.

Infrastructure Enhancements to Achieve "Meaningful Use"

• $95,000 to the Arlington Free Clinic to expand its capacity to use technology to enhance quality, safety and continuity of care for Arlington's low income uninsured population.
• $93,000 to Family Health & Birth Center to invest in infrastructure and connectivity to implement EMRs to continue providing family-centered, community-based, primary care, maternity, and birth care for women.
• $58,000 to the Muslim Community Center of Silver Spring, MD to improve client tracking through EMRs.

To learn more about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States Community Benefit programs, please visit http://bit.ly/eWrQU1.

About Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States

Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, provides and coordinates complete health care services for almost 500,000 members through 30 medical centers in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.  Founded in 1980, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is a total health organization comprised of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features approximately 900 physicians who provide or arrange care for patients throughout the area.  Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is considered one of Maryland's "Top HMOs," according to the Maryland Health Care Commission.  The health plan was ranked in the nation's 100 top commercial health plans and 20 top Medicare health plans – and the #1 Medicare plan for Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. – by "NCQA Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2010-2011 Private."  For more information about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, visit www.kp.org.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States