Kaiser Permanente Provides $650,000 to Help Communities Impacted by Woolsey Fire

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Kaiser Permanente Southern California announced a $650,000 contribution to provide immediate support for relief and recovery efforts in communities impacted by the Southern California Woolsey Fire.

Kaiser Permanente is giving $500,000 to the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. The health care organization will also provide $150,000 to the Ventura County Community Foundation with $50,000 specifically allocated to the foundation for organizational capacity support and the balance for disaster survivor relief and recovery.

“Kaiser Permanente serves almost a quarter million members in the areas impacted by the Southern California fires,” said Julie Miller-Phipps, president, Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. “The devastation has saddened us deeply as we keep hearing about heartbreaking losses and the emotional toll that it’s understandably taken. With many people beginning the long process of starting over, we’re honored to be able to work with our community partners to assist in the recovery during this critical time.”

“We are grateful for the fast response and generous aid Kaiser Permanente provided to United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ Disaster Relief Fund,” said Elise Buik, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. This is a critical time and this contribution will help vulnerable individuals and families rebuild their lives.”

Vanessa Bechtel, president & chief executive officer of the Ventura County Community Foundation also expressed gratitude for the donation, stating, “We truly appreciate Kaiser Permanente for being a close community partner that cares about our mission and helping those struck by a tragedy as devastating as the Woolsey Fire. This donation helps us with the process of relief and recovery that is badly needed for Ventura County.”

Kaiser Permanente has contributed financial resources to relief and recovery efforts following several major natural disasters this year. For instance, the health care organization donated more than $1 million in support of Southern California recovery efforts following the devastating Thomas Fire that impacted Ventura County last year. In addition, Kaiser Permanente also donated to the American Red Cross and Mental Health America of Greater Houston for hurricane relief following Hurricane Harvey.

For the next eight weeks, Kaiser Permanente is offering crisis support groups to the community for those impacted by the Borderline shooting in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and impacted by the fire. The support group will teach skills for self-care to cope with trauma, amongst other skills to aid community members through the process of grief.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.2 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

About United Way of Greater Los Angeles

United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization fighting to end poverty by preparing students for high school graduation, college, and the workforce, housing our homeless neighbors, and guiding hard-working families towards economic mobility. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit UnitedWayLA.org and EveryoneInLA.com.