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Kaiser Permanente Southern California $2 Million Grant Expands Maternity Services at New MLK Jr. Community Hospital To Support Healthy Babies, Healthy Beginnings in South Los Angeles

PASADENA, Calif., May 20, 2014 — Kaiser Permanente Southern California has announced a $2 million grant to help expand maternity services at the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles, scheduled to open in the spring of 2015.

 

The Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit grant will aid with the expansion of labor and delivery, as part of the new hospital’s Healthy Babies, Healthy Beginnings initiative to provide high quality maternity services to 1.2 million residents throughout South L.A. and its surrounding communities, including Compton, Inglewood, Watts, Willowbrook, and Lynwood.

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“We believe healthy beginnings lead to healthy babies. Our commitment helps lay the foundation for a great start for babies and their moms,” said Georgina R. Garcia, RN, BSN, MS, executive director, Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center. Garcia serves on the board of directors of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. “We are committed to making this hospital successful and bringing high quality health care to this community. By supporting the expansion of these maternity services, we are bridging a health care gap, increasing access to health care, and improving the health of our communities.”

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South L.A. has the highest rates of preterm births, infant mortality and low birth weight babies, according to the Community Health Councils (CHC). This grant will make it possible for the new state-of-the-art hospital to support and increase the number of healthy deliveries for families in the community.

 

“We appreciate Kaiser Permanente’s support of our efforts to ensure the community has access to much needed services. These funds will help us achieve that goal,” said Dr. Elaine Batchlor, chief executive officer, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. “The hospital will be a welcoming place for community residents to grow their families and we look forward to being a part of those special moments.”

 

Kaiser Permanente’s support will help provide nurseries, an operating room, and birthing and postpartum rooms, big enough for families. Breastfeeding and infant care education for new moms will also be offered.

 

South Los Angeles has been without a major hospital since 2007. The new 131-bed hospital will deliver high quality care in partnership with the County of Los Angeles, the University of California, and other community providers. The Board of Directors of Martin Luther King Jr.–Los Angeles Healthcare Corporation will operate the new community hospital.

 

About Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Program

Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit program is committed to improving the health of the communities we serve and reducing health disparities through community partnerships with the safety net of community clinics, public health departments, public hospitals, and other agencies. Community Benefit also helps increase access to quality health care and coverage, regardless of income, through our charity care and charitable coverage programs; supports community groups to inspire people to make positive changes for health through our Healthy Eating Active Living programs and Community Health Initiatives; and shares our medical knowledge, expertise, and research to help Southern California people live healthier lives. For more info, visit In the Community.

 

About Kaiser Permanente Southern California
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, our mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 3.7 million members in Southern California. 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: www.kp.org/share.

 

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