Kaiser Permanente
South Bay and Central Coast 2023 Community Health Snapshot

South Bay and Central Coast

Serving communities around our Santa Clara, San Jose, and Santa Cruz County 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 $5.8 million to support local nonprofits and partners working to build healthier communities in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

The support we received from Kaiser Permanente will allow us to increase the availability of behavioral health resources within our schools and in the community.”-Faris Sabbah, EdD, Superintendent of Schools, Santa Cruz County

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.

Working with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, our support helped create wellness centers, providing access to mental health services for about 2,000 high school students. In the South Bay, we supported Sacred Heart Community Service and its Safe, Secure, and Loved: Resilient Families program, which provided more than 100 low-income families with mental health services to help heal and strengthen family dynamics.

The need continues to grow for our seniors, and with the support of our partners, we intend to be there to meet the need.”–Jennifer Merchant, CEO, Grey Bears

Helping people
meet basic needs

Nutritious food and stable housing are essential to health, but 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.

Kaiser Permanente South Bay supported Community Seva through its Healthy Holistic Nutritional Meals for Unhoused Program, providing more than 20,000 meals to homeless individuals across Santa Clara County. Our support of the Healthy Food Program on the Central Coast enabled Grey Bears to deliver groceries to about 5,000 seniors throughout Santa Cruz County.

Man getting his teeth cleaned at dentist

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.

In 2023, Kaiser Permanente South Bay supported CityTeam Ministries and its Grace Village Medical Clinic Program, which cared for 100 underserved women and children in Santa Clara County. On the Central Coast, we funded Dientes Community Dental Care’s outreach work to expand care for up to 1,000 underserved community members.

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 South Bay communities.