East Bay
2021 Community Health Snapshot
Serving communities around our Oakland and Richmond medical facilities.
Coming
together
to improve
community
health
In 2021, Kaiser Permanente continued to respond urgently to the staggering health and economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on the communities we serve.
Together with our partners, we addressed the most critical health needs in our community: COVID-19 prevention and vaccination; food, housing, and economic security; and mental health and wellness. We prioritized support of low-income communities and communities of color, who continue to bear an unequal burden from the pandemic.
Protecting hard-hit communities
COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in 2021, but some communities hard hit by the pandemic faced barriers to getting vaccinated. Kaiser Permanente collaborated with public health departments, community health centers, and other trusted community and faith partners to address vaccine concerns and make it easy for people to get vaccinated.
One example of this is a Kaiser Permanente grant to Street Level Health Project that enabled the Oakland nonprofit to administer 1,042 COVID-19 vaccines to day laborers and other community members through pop-up clinics held at street corners and parking lots. Our funding also supported supplies and education to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in the community.
Providing critical support for social health needs
Good health requires more than high-quality medical care. Social health factors such as having enough healthy food and a safe place to live are also essential. As the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, Kaiser Permanente is intensifying efforts to meet the critical social health needs of our community.
A 2-year grant to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano provides nutritious food to 6,400 students through school-based food distributions. The funding also helps connect eligible households to food benefits such as CalFresh. In Oakland, Kaiser Permanente awarded Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency a $500,000 grant to provide supportive services for 39 formerly homeless individuals who will be living in a new affordable housing complex.
Helping local economies to thrive
A good job with a steady paycheck is foundational to good physical and mental health. Together with our community partners, Kaiser Permanente is expanding economic opportunity in communities that have endured decades of underinvestment.
One highlight is our 2-year $100,000 grant to Rubicon Programs in Contra Costa County that supports job training and wraparound services to help unemployed and underemployed individuals overcome barriers to employment, apply for, and secure quality jobs. The program is expected to serve 550 individuals over the next 2 years.
By the Numbers
$113M
2021 East Bay
Total Community
Investment
9K
People received
Medical Financial Assistance
$82M
Subsidized health
care and coverage
27K
Youth and adults reached
through Educational Theatre
$4M
In grants, donations
and direct support
377
Medical residents trained
in our Graduate Medical
Education programs
Community health priorities
As part of our commitment to improve health and health equity in our community, every 3 years we conduct a rigorous and collaborative community health needs assessment. For 2021, Kaiser Permanente identified the following significant health priorities in our East Bay communities.
Access to
Care and Coverage
High quality, culturally, and linguistically appropriate health services in coordinated delivery systems.
Economic
Security
All community members are economically secure in order to thrive.
Mental Health
and Wellness
Social and emotional health and well-being and access to high-quality behavioral health care services when needed.
