FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

08-09-12 605AM

Kaiser Permanente is supporting 11 community clinics across Northern California to increase their ability to connect patients to important community and public resources, including food banks, job training programs and homeless and domestic violence shelters.

The grants also will enable the clinics to screen patients for public-benefit programs such as CalFresh/SNAP food stamps, Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

Clinics will help their patients learn about these programs, determine if they are eligible, and navigate the enrollment and renewal processes for them.

“Kaiser Permanente is committed to keeping people healthy – and health means much more than just health care,” said Dr. David Shearn, director of Physician Education and Development and Community Benefit physician liaison for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “It’s also healthy food, safe places to live, a job to support one’s family. When people have their essential needs met, the whole community benefits, and community clinics offer a trusted place for people to access these essential services. Kaiser Permanente is proud to support the safety net in this work, which helps create better health for all.”

For example, the Kaiser Permanente grant will enable La Clinica de La Raza in Solano and Contra Costa counties to train community health educators on a variety of public health insurance programs. The educators will then coordinate with various community events and community-based organizations and conduct culturally and linguistically appropriate presentations about eligibility requirements for public-health benefit programs including Cal-Fresh, Healthy Families and Medi-Cal. Approximately 2,000 people are expected to be reached with this information, and more than 400 uninsured families will be enrolled in insurance programs.

“The goal of the program is to increase access to health care services for the uninsured and underinsured,” said Maria Reyes, Community Health Education manager for La Clinica de la Raza. “We want to identify families in the community that are potentially eligible for enrollment and assist eligible candidates into applying for programs. With this funding we will be better equipped to serve our community.”

The full list of recipients of the $60,000, one-year grants:

Curry Senior Center (San Francisco)

North East Medical Services (San Francisco, Daly City, San Jose)

Ravenswood Family Health Center (San Mateo County)

Gardner Family Health Network (San Jose, Santa Clara, Gilroy)

La Clinica de la Raza (Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties)

LifeLong Medical Care (Alameda County)

Tri-City Health Center (Fremont, Newark, Union City)

Petaluma Health Center (Petaluma area)

Midtown Medical Center for Children and Families (Sacramento)

Sacramento Native American Health Center (Sacramento area)

United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley (San Joaquin Valley)

For more information, go to www.kp.org/newscenter.

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