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Brand Values
Kaiser Permanente exists to provide affordable, high-quality health care services to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves. Kaiser Permanente invested $641 million in Community Benefit activities across America in 2003 — 84 percent, or $539 million, of these expenditures were focused on caring for people with either no health insurance coverage or limited access to private health care.
In its nearly 20 years of existence, more than 11 million people have attended productions by Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Programs. The programs currently are available in California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The productions provide up-to-date, age-appropriate health information to young people between the ages of 5 and 18, and to a growing number of adults as well. In 2003, Kaiser Permanente invested $62 million in health education, $30 million of which went to physician residency programs and $12 million to nursing, pharmacy, and other allied health professional training programs. Scholarships and mentoring opportunities were offered to 1,400 students.
Kaiser Permanente’s environmental mission is to provide health services in a manner that enhances the environment and the health of communities now and for future generations. In 2003, Kaiser Permanente’s waste minimization program diverted approximately 8,000 tons of solid waste from landfills. More than 40,000 pieces of electronic equipment, collectively weighing 410 tons, were reused, redeployed, or recycled.
Conducting research, moving that research into practice, and sharing the results have always been a priority at Kaiser Permanente. In 2003, Kaiser Permanente conducted 1,776 clinical trials, epidemiological studies, and other health services research. Study topics included the dangers of hormone therapy for post-menopausal women, the heart-health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, and the efficacy of the smallpox vaccine and other immunizations.
Partnering with organized labor is another strong Kaiser Permanente brand value. Henry Kaiser enjoyed good relations with labor unions because he viewed them as partners. Kaiser Permanente owes its growth in large part to organized labor. That partnership was formalized in the 21st century by a Labor Management Partnership, the largest health care partnership in the United States, involving more than two dozen unions.
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