January 10, 2013 — As part of its annual grant initiative, the Kaiser Permanente Community Fund has awarded $2,532,995 to 22 organizations that work to eliminate health disparities within Oregon and Southwest Washington.
The Kaiser Permanente Community Fund is a partnership between Kaiser Permanente Northwest and the Northwest Health Foundation. The fund’s objective is to improve the health of local communities served by Kaiser Permanente Northwest.
“In order to achieve total community health, we are committed to investing in projects that build community support and remove barriers that challenge all of us to lead healthy lifestyles,” said Sue Hennessy, vice president, Strategic Planning & Health Plan Services at Kaiser Permanente Northwest. “The unique focus of this fund — addressing the social determinants of health and partnering with multiple community leaders — aims to improve the health of those touched by these projects.”
“Since 2004, this fund has addressed the factors and places where health begins in our communities,” said Nichole Maher, president of Northwest Health Foundation. “This year’s group of projects builds on our longstanding partnership with Kaiser Permanente. Each grant partner is focused on initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes that are influenced by race and income levels. These differences are still too prevalent in our communities today.”
Projects range from improving healthy birth outcomes to advocating for more equitable land-use and transportation policies to creating more affordable access to local food. They include:
- Marion-Polk Food Share — $180,675 to expand nutrition education programs and access to community and school gardens in low-income neighborhoods in Salem and Keizer.
- Children’s Institute — $200,000 to advance Early Works, a 10-year, early-childhood-education initiative that aims to serve as a platform for statewide policy change. A demonstration project has begun at Earl Boyles Elementary School in Portland’s David Douglas School District, one of the highest-need, lowest-income school districts in Oregon.
- Oregon Walks — $49,990 to build capacity for pedestrian advocacy in Washington County, empower the county’s Latino community to influence local policymakers, and partner with transportation and land-use planning stakeholders in the county.
- Westside Transportation Alliance — $50,000 to promote transportation options that will reduce the transportation cost burden and improve health outcomes for low-income suburban workers in Washington County.
For a full list of grantees and projects, see the attached document.
