Kaiser Permanente Approves $11 Million in Community Bene...( ...),Health

OAKLAND, Calif., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans, announced today that it has approved more than $11 million in grants and donations to more than 700 nonprofit agencies nationwide in the second quarter of 2009. The health care organization's grants this quarter focused on providing access to high-quality care to uninsured and underserved communities, healthy food and fitness opportunities to children and families, and funding education programs for health professionals.

"We want our communities to emerge from this economic crisis in good health," said Raymond J. Baxter, Ph.D., senior vice president, Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit, Research and Health Policy. "Kaiser Permanente is committed to supporting community health programs jeopardized by the recession. Especially in tough times, access to healthy foods, health care and educational opportunities that will result in more highly qualified health professionals serving those in need are critical to creating and sustaining healthy communities."

Kaiser Permanente's grants nationwide included, but were not limited to, the following:

Food and Fitness in Tough Economic Times

Kaiser Permanente has been at the forefront of national efforts to promote access to healthy foods. In continuing to fund this initiative, Kaiser Permanente awarded the Public Health Institute $200,000 to develop a program to provide financial incentives for food stamp recipients to increase their consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables. Through this "Healthy Purchase Pilot" program, food stamp recipients will receive "bonus values" on purchases of healthy foods.

Kaiser Permanente awarded $150,000 to the Food Research and Action Center in Washington, D.C., to make food stamp and school meal programs more available
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