PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kaiser Permanente Southern California physicians and staff are volunteering their time and talent throughout January to commemorate the 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.
MLK Day of Service is a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community service that helps empower and strengthen local communities. Dr. King once said, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'” The civil rights leader exemplified values that closely align with Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to social responsibility and community.
Established in 2005, this will mark the tenth year in which Kaiser Permanente staff and physicians participate in various volunteer efforts from Kern to San Diego to honor Dr. King.
“We encourage people to strengthen communities through service and use the Martin Luther King Holiday to sign-up and volunteer at their local non-profits,” said Benjamin K. Chu, MD, MPH, MACP, group president for Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. “Our volunteer efforts across Southern California underscore Kaiser Permanente’s longstanding commitment to community benefit, while providing a unique opportunity for employees and physicians to serve some of their communities’ most vulnerable residents.”
Projects include:
- In Panorama City, physicians and employees are serving dinner to San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission emergency shelter clients. The organization provides homeless children and their families the basic necessities and also a foundation for family restoration, personal growth, and employment.
- Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles, Los Angeles and Pasadena physicians and staff are revitalizing Hillcrest Elementary School by expanding the community garden and through the addition of new outdoor classroom space, painting murals, planting, and much more.
- In Kern County, employees are teaming up with the Afford Foundation, an organization that sets up community gardens for the underserved and assists senior citizens. Volunteers will be harvesting fruit from various trees at the homes of elderly and disabled individuals. The citrus fruit will be distributed to a local food pantry, Golden Empire Gleaners.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California volunteer projects are organized by staff at Kaiser Permanente medical centers, medical office buildings, and regional offices, including the Watts Counseling & Learning Center. For a complete list of MLK Kaiser Permanente projects in your area, go to http://bit.ly/1hweHmw.
For more about Kaiser Permanente’s efforts in the community year-round, visit: kp.org/communitybenefit.
About Kaiser Permanente 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 Healthy 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 Southern California
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 more than 3.6 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: kp.org/share.
