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A Message from Our Leaders

Photo of woman getting Covid-19 vaccination

We release this 2020 Community Health Snapshot during the most significant health crisis of our lifetime. We have confronted enormous challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have come together with all levels of government and our community partners to meet this moment.

With the development and FDA Emergency Use Authorization of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines, we are working diligently to ensure everyone who wants to be vaccinated can do so easily, breaking down access barriers and addressing vaccine confidence in our communities.

We remain acutely aware that the pandemic is creating an unequal burden on communities of color. Latinx, Black, and Native Americans are dying from COVID-19 at significantly higher rates than white Americans, while lower-income, Latinx, and Black households face the highest rates of pandemic-related financial hardship and some of the lowest vaccination rates.

As we respond to these and other complex challenges to community health, we are guided by Kaiser Permanente’s foundational and abiding commitment to racial equity.

When the killing of George Floyd and so many others sparked a national movement for racial justice, we immediately partnered with organizations to address systemic racism and the lack of economic opportunities that prevent communities of color from thriving. Most recently, we supported partners in the community working to combat the drastic spike in violence and hate against people of Asian descent.

We are proud to share that in 2020, our total Community Benefit investment was $1.41 billion, which included $228 million for charitable health coverage and medical financial assistance – 2 programs essential to providing health care for those most in need.

As COVID-19 surged, we also took bold steps to reduce the number of people infected by the virus. Kaiser Permanente provided grant funding to the Public Health Institute to deploy contact tracers, helping local public health departments in California slow the spread.

We also launched a COVID-19 public education campaign to provide critical health messages to communities disproportionately affected by the virus.

As you’ll read in the stories of impact within this report, we also focused grantmaking to support urgent pandemic-related needs. We provided support to strengthen the health care safety net, address rising food and housing insecurity for people in need, and foster student and school staff mental health and well-being.

We humbly acknowledge that our work in the community would not be possible without our essential community partnerships. We pledge to continue our joint work on an equitable pandemic response in our communities, as together we face the ongoing challenges of this public health crisis.

Photo of executive signature

Carrie Owen Plietz
President, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan

Photo of executive signature

Yvette Radford
Vice President, External & Community Affairs
Kaiser Permanente Northern California

Our Impact

Photo of health care workers providing Covid-19 testing

Caring for those
most in need

Kaiser Permanente prioritized grants to the health care safety net and to homeless service providers to increase access to care and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Read more about Caring for those most in need

Supporting health
through housing

A $25 million grant from Kaiser Permanente helped California cities and counties to provide critical housing for people experiencing homelessness, like Patricia Maes.

Read more about Supporting Health through Housing

Photo of man and women packing meal packs at the food bank

Addressing hunger
during COVID-19

Amid growing food insecurity, we supported foundations, food banks, and other community partners to feed people in need and connect them to ongoing food assistance.

Read more about Addressing Hunger during COVID-19

Fostering resilience
in schools

When the pandemic hit, schools closed, leaving many students feeling isolated, anxious, and depressed. Kaiser Permanente funded 15 organizations to provide mental health counseling and more.

Read more about Fostering Resilience in Schools

Communities We Serve

By the Numbers

2020 Northern California Community Benefit Investment

$1.41B

Total Community Investment

$760M*
Kaiser Permanente
Hospitals
$651M
Kaiser Permanente
Health Plan
Pie chart of 2019 Community Investment numbers

*As reported in SB 697, a state-required report for all nonprofit hospitals.

$985M

Medi-Cal and other
government programs

$228M

Charitable health
coverage and care

$90M

Philanthropy

$75M

Health professions
education

$20M

Research

$14M

Other

Making Lives Better

154K

youth and adults reached
through Educational Theatre

$90M

in grants, donations,
and direct support

138K

people received
Medical Financial Assistance

$2M

in employee and corporate
donations to nonprofits
through KP Gives

1,917

medical residents trained
in our Graduate Medical
Education programs

237

people trained at
our School of Allied
Health Sciences

154K

youth and adults reached
through Educational Theatre

$90M

in grants, donations
and direct support

138K

people received
Medical Financial Assistance

$2M

in employee and corporate
donations to nonprofits
through KP Gives

1,917

medical residents trained
in our Graduate Medical
Education programs

237

people trained at
our School of Allied
Health Sciences

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