Kaiser Permanente Physicians and Employees Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Painting classrooms, sorting donated clothing and pulling wayward weeds may not be a part of a typical day's work at Kaiser Permanente, but for the past nine years, those were just some of the tasks completed by thousands of Kaiser Permanente physicians and employees as part of the organization's Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service.

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Now in its 10th year, Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians are once again rolling up their sleeves in remembrance of Dr. King's commitment to community service.

Last year in Colorado, Kaiser Permanente physicians and staff served at more than 30 nonprofits throughout the state including at the Denver Broncos Boys and Girls Club, where young people come to learn, develop social skills, express themselves creatively, and participate in sports. Kaiser Permanente physicians and employees helped with homework, served as sports coaches, repainted hallways and cooked and served the kids lunch.

"Community service has been a part of our Colorado heritage for more than 40 years," said Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, Kaiser Permanente Colorado vice president of government and external relations. "We are proud to partner with the Denver Broncos Boys and Girls Club and many other wonderful organizations to provide much needed services to our communities and to honor Dr. King's legacy."

In Georgia, physicians and employees sorted and packaged supplies at MedShare, a nonprofit organization that collects surplus medical supplies and equipment to redistribute to underserved health care facilities in developing countries and to free and safety-net clinics in the United States. MedShare provides medical supplies to support disaster relief, most recently to Tacloban City, Philippines, following the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

All told, last year more than 6,000 Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians across the country dedicated their time at 113 sites, touching an estimated 80,000 people.

"Despite the differences in geography, our employees' values and commitment to serve their communities remain the same everywhere," said Ronald Copeland, MD, FACS, chief diversity and inclusion officer of Kaiser Permanente. "We're proud to support this tradition of honoring Dr. King's spirit of service by helping make our communities better places to live, work, learn and play."

For more information about Kaiser Permanente's year-round work to improve the health of the communities they serve, visit kp.org/communitybenefit.

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 9.1 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 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.

Contact:
Amy Wang
[email protected]
510-506-5569

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente