Kaiser Permanente Redwood City grants provide community needs

To address the health needs of the community, Kaiser Permanente Redwood City is providing $415,000 in grants focused on increasing access to health care, providing nutritional meals and addressing mental health needs.

The Kaiser Permanente funding to 13 non-profit organizations will help low-income, at-risk communities in San Mateo County.

“Kaiser Permanente’s mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve,” said Sheila Gilson, Senior Vice President and Area Manager at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City. “We are supporting 13 organizations that provide nutrition programs, safety net services for those in need, and counseling services for youth.”

One grantee, Acknowledge Alliance, works with at-risk teens who have recently left San Mateo County’s Juvenile Hall or are at risk for probation involvement. Acknowledge Alliance counsels and supports the teens to stay in and/or return to high school. The Kaiser Permanente grant will allow them to increase access to the counseling services.

“We’re thrilled to receive this grant from Kaiser Permanente Redwood City ,” said Sharon Navarro, Executive Director of Acknowledge Alliance. “The grant will support our collaborative counseling program, aimed at keeping former teen offenders and at-risk teens in high school to graduation.”

The program has been highly successful counseling 75% of the teens they work with returning to high school and graduating. Typically, only 9% of teens who leave Juvenile Hall graduate from high school.

Navarro said “our mission is to divert the pipeline to prison for these youngsters and at the same time help youth create lasting positive change in their lives.

Acknowledge Alliance licensed mental health professionals work at all six high schools of the Sequoia Union High School District.

Besides Acknowledge Alliance, Kaiser Permanente Redwood City grants are supporting the following non-profit organizations:

Besides Acknowledge Alliance, Kaiser Permanente is supporting the following non-profit organizations:

• Coastside Hope, food programs and safety net services
• HEAL Project, community garden
• Siena Youth Health Center, family coaching to prevent diabetes

• Peninsula Family Services, meals for seniors and food bank assistance
• Samaritan House, safety net services and health care
• Sonrisas, dental health care
• We Hope, homeless services and counseling
• Sequoia Union High School District, mental health services
• Adolescent Counseling Services, mental health care for youth
• Boys and Girls Club, teen mental health care
• Puenta de la Costa Sur, fire recovery
• San Mateo Police Activities League, youth intervention and violence prevention