Kaiser Permanente grants nearly $1M for Santa Cruz County health, wellness

Kaiser Permanente Santa Cruz County announced grants of $928,007 to local non-profit groups whose mission is providing health and wellness to Santa Cruz County residents. The grants are part of Kaiser Permanente’s national Community Benefit program, which has distributed $2-billion in healthy living grants across the nation.

In Santa Cruz County, the grants range from $10,000 to $98,000, and will support programs that encourage healthy eating and active living, mental health and wellness initiatives, and access to care.

“Kaiser Permanente is building strong partnerships with the Santa Cruz County community,” said Dr. Christine Levan, Physician-in-Charge of Kaiser Permanente in Santa Cruz County. “We have a long history of working with local schools, non-profits, local partners and the health care safety net to identify community needs and make appropriate investments to help them in their important work.”

A grant for $95,000 went to Watsonville’s Salud Para La Gente and its partners -- Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance, Santa Cruz Community Ventures and the Watsonville Law Center -- to support the start of an innovative total health program.

“Kaiser Permanente is helping Salud and our partners create a healthier more vibrant central coast. This grant will help us design a single, seamless system of care to address the social, legal and economic issues faced by our patients every day. We’re incredibly grateful for Kaiser Permanente’s investment in the Pajaro Valley,” says Dori Rose Inda, CEO of Salud Para La Gente. “This expanded care team adds cross sector services to the traditional health care team ---legal, financial, parental and student support ---- with an upstream approach to address the root causes of the health conditions affecting our patients.”

Kaiser Permanente’s grants are only part of our commitment to Santa Cruz County, says Niraj Singh, Executive Director of the Kaiser Permanente Santa Cruz County expansion.

“Already, our physicians, nurses and staff are volunteering in community health events, fitness programs, even a recent beach cleanup. And we’re planning a Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday fix-up-clean-up event for 2018,” Singh said.

Kaiser Permanente has also made community investments in the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, the Abbott Square Grand Opening, 4th of July Fireworks at Watsonville, and the Scotts Valley July 4th Parade.

Below are the 27 community organizations receiving Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit grants for 2017:

1. Community Bridges
2. Community Health Centers of Santa Cruz
3. CruzMed Foundation
4. County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency
5. Dientes Community Dental
6. Diversity Center of Santa Cruz
7. Encompass Community Services
8. Family Service Agency of the Central Coast
9. First Five
10. Food What!
11. Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz
12. Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support
13. Jovenos Sanos – Pajaro Valley
14. Leo’s Haven at Chantecleer Park
15. Life Lab Science Program
16. Live Oak School District
17. Mesa Verde Gardens
18. Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust
19. Pajaro Valley Prevention & Student Assistance
20. Pajaro Valley Unified School District
21. Salud Para La Gente
22. Scotts Valley Counseling Center
23. Second Harvest Food Bank
24. United Way of Santa Cruz County
25. Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County
26. Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center
27. Watsonville Family YMCA