Serving our community

There’s a heartbeat for every community, and like you, we strive to keep it strong. That’s why we collaborate with partners and leaders to help people in our cities, counties, towns, and neighborhoods transform their vision for a healthy community into a thriving reality. Maybe you’ve seen some of our efforts in Maryland where you live, work, and play.

New initiatives

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Thrive Local

Launched in 2019 in partnership with Unite Us, Thrive Local is a network of resources created to integrate social factors into Kaiser Permanente’s care delivery. This growing network of health care and social service providers provides our members with the resources and support they need to secure safe, affordable housing, healthy food, and other essentials by 2022.

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Affordable housing

Kaiser Permanente fully supports national and local efforts to ensure safe, stable, and affordable housing for our members and communities that face homelessness and housing insecurity. In 2020, we awarded close to $2.4 million in grants to homeless service providers to help prevent home evictions, provide medical care in shelters, and more.

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Environmental stewardship

As a health care provider, we feel an obligation to minimize our environmental impact. Kaiser Permanente is conscious of our environmental responsibility, which is evident in how we power our facilities, purchase medical supplies and equipment, manage waste, and invest in our communities.

Bon Secours Community Works | Baltimore

Kaiser Permanente is proud to have invested more than $3 million towards the opening of the Bon Secours Community Works Community Resource Center in West Baltimore. The state-of-the-art facility was designed to restore an essential community gathering space in the Boyd-Booth neighborhood that has been shuttered for decades, and aims to advance health equality for residents with community programming such as mental health services, art-based learning, career training, and more.

Conversation with Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett

Kaiser Permanente and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum recently hosted the 2nd Annual African Americans in Health Care Awards. The ceremony honored Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a lead scientist who helped develop the Moderna vaccine. Dr. Corbett explained how the pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color, and why we have a duty to help build confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines and ensure that everyone in our community has access. If you were unable to join, you can watch the recording of the event here. ​

Good Health and Great Hair | Baltimore

In 2016, Kaiser Permanente launched the Good Health Great Hair program as a pilot initiative to equip barbershop and salon owners with the support they need to help their clients live healthier lives. This outreach program puts critical health and social support services in the barbershops and salons of neighborhoods that most need them, improving access to immunizations and screening for high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic diseases that disproportionately affect African-Americans.

Future Baltimore | Baltimore

Future Baltimore is a flagship partnership between Kaiser Permanente, Bon Secours Community Works, and the Community Anchor Group funded by a $5.3 million investment. Our collective mission is to address the social, economic, and health inequities in West Baltimore’s 21223 ZIP code. This fall, Future Baltimore will open a state-of-the-art community resource center that will house a range of services and activities to enhance community well-being.
Photos taken prior to COVID pandemic

Inner City Capital Connection | Baltimore

Because healthy individuals require healthy communities, and healthy communities require economic opportunity, Kaiser Permanente has partnered since 2018 with the Mayor’s Office of Small, Minority and Women Business to bring the ICCC program to Baltimore. The program has provided no-cost capacity-building, coaching, and capital access to over 200 Baltimore-area businesses, many of which are owned by women or people of color. Learn more and nominate a business.

Photos taken prior to COVID pandemic

Thriving Schools | Various school systems

Thriving Schools is our all-in engagement to improve health for students, staff, and teachers. Here you’ll find the tools and ideas to help you create healthier school environments, build habits for healthy eating and active lifestyles, and support social and emotional well-being. Learn more.