Kaiser Permanente
Greater Southern Alameda Area 2023 Community Health Snapshot

Greater Southern Alameda Area

Serving communities around our Fremont and San Leandro medical facilities.

Building healthier communities

Improving health and equity in the communities we serve is foundational to Kaiser Permanente’s mission. Our charitable contributions are guided by a comprehensive assessment that helps us to identify and address community health needs.

In 2023, Kaiser Permanente provided $2.6 million to support local nonprofits and partners working to build healthier communities in our Greater Southern Alameda Area service area.

Strengthening
community mental health

With a rise in demand for mental health services and an ongoing shortage of mental health professionals, we supported programs to expand the pool of qualified, diverse mental health professionals and increase access to community services for young people and vulnerable individuals.

In coordination with Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools program and the support of a 2-year grant, The Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) implemented HUSD Thrives to improve well-being for the district’s students, families, and staff. HUSD strengthens and integrates trauma-informed practices and services for up to 500 students and families.

Helping people
meet basic needs

Nutritious food and stable housing are essential to health, but they’re out of reach for many people in our community. We supported organizations that help those with low incomes access healthy food, enroll in benefit programs such as CalFresh, and find safe, affordable housing.

For the past 2 years, Kaiser Permanente has supported the San Lorenzo Family Help Center, which provides culturally specific foods, vegan foods, fresh produce, and protein sources for low-income families, seniors, and people experiencing homelessness. It recently started a food recovery program and supplies nutritious supplemental groceries and prepared meals to about 2,500 families a month.

The principles of our clinic are, ‘love all, serve all, help ever, and hurt never’ as we provide free medical care for low-income people who don’t have health insurance.”
-Joe Phaneuf, MD, founder, Ashland Free Medical Clinic

Improving access
to care

Millions of Californians with low incomes rely on Medi-Cal for critical medical, dental, and mental health services. We supported community partners in keeping eligible residents enrolled. Through grants, training, and technical assistance we also helped safety-net hospitals and health centers to improve quality and expand access to care for people who need it most.

The Ashland Free Medical Clinic is a safety-net clinic in the unincorporated Ashland/Cherryland area, a community with disproportionately high rates of poverty. Kaiser Permanente has provided funding for 20 years and its current grant supports culturally responsive and family-centered education and care for up to 80 patients with Type-2 Diabetes.

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 2023, Kaiser Permanente identified the following significant health priorities in our Greater Southern Alameda Area communities.