Grants provide access to health care, reduce obesity rates and improve adolescent health

Kaiser Permanente in the Diablo Area is proud to announce its 2012 grantees. The grants, totaling more than $600,000 will provide financial support to local nonprofit, public health, and human service organizations that serve vulnerable communities.

Diablo Area grants are made to organizations serving East and Central Contra Costa County and the Tri-Valley Area of Alameda County and are for one year. Each of the grants will support the following one of the following objectives: increasing access to health insurance coverage and health care services; reducing obesity rates and improving adolescent health.

There are 40 grants being distributed to 38 local non-profit and public agencies.

Among the highlights (full list at the end of the release):

• In East Contra Costa County, $259,500 in grant funding will help the community.

  • Brighter Beginnings will use $15,000 to decrease teen pregnancy rates and increase Chlamydia screenings.

  • The Bay Point Community Foundation will use $3,000 to start a biking club for teens, working with a bike specialist and exploring the trails around the community.

  • Meals on Wheels will be using $5,000 to provide low-impact exercise to seniors who live in Bay Point.

  • And $30,000 grant to St. Vincent de Paul supports their RotaCare free clinic which offers primary care and chronic disease management to low income residents who have no health insurance.

“Our mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve,” said Marianne Balin, community benefit manager for Kaiser Permanente in the Diablo Area. “These grants will help the underserved in our community gain access to health care services, learn ways to increase healthy habits while decreasing obesity, and improve adolescent sexual health. We are grateful for the work our grantees are doing in the community and we are glad that we can provide this funding and be a partner to help move their projects forward.”

For more information on Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit Program, visit: http://info.kaiserpermanente.org/communitybenefit/

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 and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. 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/newscenter

Kaiser Permanente Diablo Area Grants:

• Ambrose Recreation and Park District: Non-competitive physical activity program for preschoolers ($9,500)

• Axis Community Health, Inc: Support for eligibility specialist to help patients secure or maintain health coverage through public programs ($30,000)

• Bay Area Communities for Health Education (BACHE): Workshops in East Contra Costa County to help parents talk with their kids about sex ($7,000)

• Bay Point Community Foundation: Teen bike club in Bay Point ($3,000)

• Brighter Beginnings: Teen peer education about pregnancy prevention and Chlamydia screening in East Contra Costa County ($15,000)

• Center for Human Development: Development and deployment of Youth Nutrition Advocate team to serve as peer educators and policy advocates, with a special focus on decreasing soda consumption ($13,000)

• City of Livermore: Community nutrition classes focused on healthy food choices and healthy cooking for senior citizens and teens ($10,000)

• Community Child Care Council of Alameda County: Development of nutrition and physical activity policies for 15 child care programs that serve vulnerable families in the Tri-Valley ($10,000)

• Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL): Healthy Living & Aging Fair for Tri-Valley seniors & persons with disabilities – special focus on enrollment in public benefits ($10,000)

• Contra Costa Child Care Council/Healthy and Active Before 5: Increase physical activity in child care and other settings using a framework for encouraging play ($25,000)

• Contra Costa Health Services/Prenatal Care Guidance Program: Promote access to early prenatal care among African American and Hispanic mothers through outreach, case management and an education campaign on Presumptive Eligibility Medi-Cal. ($25,000)

• Contra Costa Health Services: Develop a collaborative and a plan to replicate Kaiser Permanente’s Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Initiative in East Contra Costa County. ($30,000)

• Contra Costa Health Services – NEW Kids Program: A community-based comprehensive pediatric weight management program that includes family involvement, nutrition education, and physical activity ($25,000)

• Desarrollo Familiar, Inc.: Health education for adolescents aged 12-17 to encourage responsible sexual activity and pregnancy prevention ($10,000)

• East Bay Bicycle Coalition: Bicycle safety education to low-income families in the Monument neighborhood of Concord to encourage residents to make safe bicycling a regular part of a healthy active lifestyle ($12,000)

• East County Faith Based Subcommittee to the Child Welfare Redesign: Distribution of kitchen starter kits to families and individuals entering transitional and permanent housing after a period of homelessness ($10,000)

• East County Kids-N-Motion: Dance-based physical activity program serving low-income children, youth and adults in Bay Point ($6,000)

• East County Midnight Basketball League Program: East Contra Costa County physical activity program to encourage physical activity and health education for youth and young adults ages 8-16 ($6,000)

• Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano: Free fresh fruit and vegetables for families of students attending after-school programs at schools in low-income neighborhoods ($30,000)

• Interfaith Solutions, Inc.: Comprehensive sex education and clinic linkages for middle/high school youth, using evidence-based curricula and “Baby Think It Over Dolls” (20,000)

• Jewish Family & Children’s Services of the East Bay: Health benefit education and enrollment assistance targeting low-income, limited English-speaking refugees and immigrants ($15,000)

• Livermore Area Recreation and Park District: Scholarships for swimming lessons and summer pool passes for low-income youth in the Livermore Area ($15,000)

• Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District: Workshops for Latina youth and their mothers focused on health, physical and psychological changes, and sexual responsibility ($4,000)

• Loaves & Fishes of Contra Costa: Core support for free hot lunch program in multiple sites in the Diablo Area ($20,000)

• Marylin Avenue Elementary School: Health benefit education and assistance in applying for public health coverage programs targeting Marylin Avenue Elementary School families ($11,000)

• Meals on Wheels by Senior Outreach Services: Weekly exercise program for seniors in Bay Point ($5,000)

• Michael Chavez Center for Economic Development: Development and training for a Community Health Promotor program in the Monument neighborhood of Concord, in partnership with La Clínica de la Raza ($16,000)

• Monument Community Partnership: Strengthen the capacity of MCP’s Neighborhood Action Teams and Service Network to address healthy eating and active living ($30,000)

• Monument Crisis Center: Support for increased provision of fresh produce for food pantry program ($30,000)

• Mount Diablo Unified School District – Teen Garden Corps: Six-week summer youth employment program in community garden for youth ($14,000)

• Open Heart Kitchen: Weekend box meal program for low-income children in the Tri-Valley ($20,000)

• Planned Parenthood Shasta-Pacific: Teen Peer Educator corps focused on pregnancy prevention and Chlamydia reduction in the Monument neighborhood of Concord ($15,000)

• Richmond Community Foundation: Core support for community collaborative focused on identifying innovations to sustain and enhance food, health care, housing, and safety services for Contra Costa’s vulnerable communities ($10,000)

• RotaCare Bay Area, Inc.: Provision of free health care services for low-income uninsured residents of Concord’s Monument neighborhood two evenings per week, including urgent and select specialty services ($30,000)

• Senior Support of the Tri-Valley: Nutrition education and exercise classes at senior sites ($10,000)

• Shelter Inc.: Healthy eating, shopping, and cooking classes for individuals and families in transition from homelessness ($15,000)

• St. Vincent de Paul RotaCare Clinic County: Provision of free primary care and urgent care services one night a week for low-income uninsured adults ($30,000)

• T.O.T.A. (Turn On To America): Core support for free food box program targeting low-income communities in Central and East Contra Costa ($5,000)

• Todos Unidos: Walking program for elementary school students in East Contra Costa County ($10,000)

• Tri-City Health Center: Teen peer educator-led street outreach and youth involvement program focused on pregnancy prevention and Chlamydia reduction in the Tri-Valley Area ($10,000)

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