Employees Volunteer Across Southern California on MLK Day of Service
PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kaiser Permanente Southern California physicians and staff are honoring civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in various volunteer efforts (pdf) from Kern to San Diego, with nonprofit organizations in Orange County, Inland Empire, and the Los Angeles area.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California has committed time, resources, and talent to support a variety of volunteer projects throughout the community organized by staff at Kaiser Permanente medical centers, medical office buildings, and regional offices, including the Watts Counseling & Learning Center and its Educational Theatre group. Activities range from city beautification and home refurbishing for veterans to food bank sorting and packing, as well as health screenings.
“The best way to honor Dr. King is through service and volunteering in our communities. In this time of economic challenge, Dr. King’s vision of service is more critical than ever. The MLK Day of Service shines a spotlight on service as a powerful way for nonprofits such as Kaiser Permanente, our physicians, and staff to work together to meet the critical needs of the communities we serve and advance Dr. King’s dream of opportunity for all,” said Benjamin K. Chu, MD, MPH, MACP, group president for Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.
This is Kaiser Permanente’s eighth annual MLK Day of Service. In 2009, when President-elect Barack Obama renewed the call for a National Day of Service to honor Dr. King's birthday, Kaiser Permanente employees and their families were already in action, having expanded their Martin Luther King Day participation in volunteer service projects since 2005.
In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service. It takes place every year, the third Monday in January.
About Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit Program
Kaiser Permanente's Community Benefit program is committed to improving the health of the communities we serve and reducing health disparities through community partnerships with the safety net of community clinics, public health departments, public hospitals, and other agencies. Community Benefit also helps increase access to quality health care and coverage, regardless of income, through our charity care and charitable coverage programs; supports community groups to inspire people to make positive changes for health through our Health Eating Active Living programs and Community Health Initiatives; and shares our medical knowledge, expertise, and research to help Southern California people live healthier lives. For more info, visit Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit.
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 to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 3.5 million members in Southern California. 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: www.kp.org/newscenter.
CONTACT:
Kaiser Permanente
Southern California Region
Sandra Hernandez-Millett, 626-405-5384
Mobile: 626-696-9051
KEYWORDS: United States North America California
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Women Health Hospitals Consumer African-American Family General Health Men
MEDIA:
| Logo |