Press Release

• Kaiser Permanente commits to long-term investment to promote health, wealth and equity for youth and adults in three of Baltimore City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.

• Partnership rooted in a vision shared by two anchors with community residents to meet deep socio-economic and health needs.  

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BALTIMORE — Kaiser Permanente announced today an additional commitment of $1.7 million to launch a neighborhood revitalization project in partnership with Bon Secours that will advance health equity and economic opportunity in West Baltimore. Building on previous planning grants to Bon Secours Community Works of $140,000, this combined investment of more than $1.8 million cements a long-term partnership between Kaiser Permanente, Bon Secours and several communities in ZIP code 21223.

The key component of this project will be the construction of a community resource center that will serve youth and adults with economic, health and social services, supported by an array of local partners. The partnership between Kaiser Permanente and Bon Secours will, within five years, support the establishment of new businesses, a decline in the ZIP code’s unemployment rate, and availability of new mental health services for residents.

“Kaiser Permanente is eager to partner with Bon Secours to work toward making Baltimore City one of the healthiest cities in America. Economic security has a tremendous impact on the health of individuals and communities,” said Kim Horn, president of Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States. “This partnership will create comprehensive support for this community, going far beyond what either of us could do alone.”

The project is the first of its kind in West Baltimore and will serve as a model for community health and development projects across the region and the country and for “anchor institutions” as agents of community revitalization.

“Bon Secours is excited about the partnership with Kaiser Permanente and is truly grateful for the faith and trust they have placed in us,” said Samuel Ross, MD, MS. “We are committed to the long-term partnership that supports revitalization of west Baltimore.”

This partnership aligns two national health care delivery systems to rebuild the social, emotional and economic fabric of the most depressed ZIP code in the state of Maryland. Residents of West Baltimore face significant societal barriers to health and well-being, identified in the recent community health needs assessments of both Kaiser Permanente and Bon Secours. Within the 21223 ZIP code, which includes the neighborhoods of Boyd-Booth, Fayette Outreach and Franklin Square, life expectancy is 68.3 years, a full 11 years lower than the statewide average.

As Kaiser Permanente’s presence in Baltimore grows, a commitment to addressing core drivers of health — comprehensive health care, supports for mental health and economic opportunity — is a top priority. Recently, Kaiser Permanente launched the Institute for Equitable Leadership, which brings together nonprofit and for-profit leaders serving Baltimore City for coaching and training to strengthen their organizations and develop leadership skills grounded in equity, diversity and inclusion.

Kaiser Permanente is also expanding its 2016 pilot program with local barbershops and beauty shops to offer no-cost preventive health screenings. Last fall, a partnership with a West Baltimore neighborhood to renovate a park in Park Heights created a safe place for children to play.

About Bon Secours
Bon Secours Baltimore Health System (BSBHS) serves the west Baltimore Community with a comprehensive array of services including a 72 bed acute care hospital with medical and surgical services, comprehensive behavioral health services, same day surgery, imaging, an outpatient dialysis program, over 25 thousand emergency department visits a year, more than 4,300 discharges annually, over 725 affordable housing units in six Senior and two Family Housing Centers, numerous community outreach programs for  men, women, expectant mothers, children, teenagers and seniors. More than 760 people are employed by Bon Secours Baltimore Health System. The mission of the Health System is to provide compassionate, quality health care and to be “Good Help®” to those in need in west Baltimore.  For more information visit: www.bonsecoursbaltimore.com

About Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, provides and coordinates complete health care services for more than 710,000 members through 30 medical centers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Founded in 1980, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is a total health organization comprising Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features nearly 1,500 physicians, making it the largest medical group in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is the only Private plan available through employer-sponsored health coverage in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia — and one of only 13 Private health plans available nationwide — to earn a 5 out of 5 rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2016–2017. In addition, Kaiser Permanente has the No. 1 Medicare plan in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. For more information about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, visit kp.org or follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/KPMidAtlantic, or Facebook, www.facebook.com/kpthrive.