Kaiser Permanente Delivers $1 Million to Aid in Ebola Relief

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente announced today that it has made charitable contributions totaling $1 million for West Africa Ebola relief to two partner agencies, Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins Sans Frontieres and International Medical Corps. The contributions will support direct medical care and safe clinical treatment practices.

"The 2014 Ebola outbreak is the largest in history and the first in West Africa, where the affected countries have little healthcare infrastructure and minimal experience managing a public health emergency of this magnitude," said Raymond J. Baxter, PhD, senior vice president for Community Benefit, Research and Health Policy. "It is of the utmost importance that we collaborate with experienced partner agencies on the ground, to treat and isolate the affected patients and ensure the safety of clinicians and others."

"The rapidity and effectiveness with which donations can turn into medical care in West Africa is vital at this time," said Cynthia Telles, PhD, chair, Community Benefit Committee, board of directors of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan, Inc. "We are confident that our partners, Doctors Without Borders and International Medical Corps, can put these resources to immediate use to address the critical needs in West Africa."

Due to the fluidity and evolving nature of the situation, Kaiser Permanente is prepared to provide additional aid as the situation continues to develop. We will continue to closely monitor the situation through communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The charitable donations of $500,000 each were provided earlier this week:

• Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins Sans Frontieres - $500,000. This funding will support the treatment and isolation of patients and training of local and volunteer health workers in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The organization has mobilized hemorrhagic fever experts and experienced medical and logistical staff, many of whom have returned multiple times to the region in recent months.
• International Medical Corps - $500,000. This funding will be used to support the creation and operation of two roving teams of trainers – in Sierra Leone and Liberia – to rapidly expand the number of trained health care workers equipped to treat Ebola patients and help ensure the safety of patients, health workers, and Ebola Treatment Unit staff. Teams will quickly help relieve the existing limits on training capacity by training local health care workers in both West African countries.

Both organizations are well positioned to provide relief for this epidemic. They have strong and reliable on-the-ground networks and service delivery models that assist those who are most in need, as well as long track records of fiscal stewardship.

About Kaiser Permanente
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 and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 9.5 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. 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: kp.org/share.

For More Information
Caitlin Cobb, (510) 271-5955, [email protected]

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

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