LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 19, 2020 / In light of the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), Kaiser Permanente announced a $1 million contribution to 10 leading public health organizations, as well as a commitment to collaborate with the CDC Foundation to strengthen the health infrastructure and response systems across the country.
"To mitigate the impact of this virus, we must support and empower the organizations leading response and treatment efforts," said Cynthia Telles, PhD, Community Health Committee chair for the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals Boards of Directors. "This contribution is one way we are working to leverage our expertise and resources to collaborate with others towards a solution and an effective response strategy."
Diverse organizations operating at the forefront of public health will receive funding and include the American Public Health Association; Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; Big Cities Health Coalition; Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; County Health Executives Association of California; Health Officers Association of California; National Association of County and City Health Officials; National Health Law Program; the Network for Public Health Law; Public Health Institute; and Trust for America's Health.
"This contribution will help these organizations broaden and deepen their work supporting state and local health officers, who are responding to the public health threat posed by the novel coronavirus", said Dr. Cynthia Telles. "Sharing accurate information, developing effective protocols and policies - these may not be headline-grabbing initiatives, but they are critical to the success of moving quickly to serve all communities that might be at risk."
Dr. Cynthia Telles has dedicated her career to expanding access to high-quality physical and mental health care, especially to underserved communities.
A key part of Kaiser Permanente's mission as the nation's largest nonprofit, integrated health system is to improve the health of its 12.2 million members, as well as that of the 68 million people who live in the communities it serves. Given the uncertainty and potential reach of COVID-19, the importance of this mission is more critical than ever.
"As a leading health care provider with a deep commitment to community health, Kaiser Permanente is proud to support these organizations to help them safeguard the health and manage the impact of the virus in our communities," said Dr. Cynthia Telles.
For more information about Kaiser Permanente's community health work, review the organization's most recent Community Health Needs Assessments at https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/static/health/annual_reports/chsnapshot2018/ or reach out to John Nelson at John.E.Nelson@kp.org.
SOURCE: Kaiser Permanente
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https://www.accesswire.com/581606/Cynthia-Telles-on-How-Kaiser-Permanente-is-Taking-Steps-To-Support-COVID-19-Response-Efforts
