Kaiser Permanente's Latino Employee Resource Group Honored as Among Top in the Nation by U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

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Sep 24, 2012, 11:07 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente Latino Association Northern California has been recognized by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as among the top five employee resource groups in the nation. The announcement was made last week at the Latino ERG Summit and Corporate Challenge at the USHCC 33rd Annual National Convention in Los Angeles. Kaiser Permanente was the only health care delivery system to make the list.

KPLA was judged with more than 25 other corporate ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) based on four key areas: career advancement of Latino professionals, alignment of Latino ERG initiatives and corporate objectives, community involvement, and cultural Latino advancement within the organization. Other organizations that were honored include AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Ford and JPMorgan Chase.

"It is a great honor to receive this national recognition by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce," said Berta Alicia Bejarano, president of KPLA Northern California. "We look forward to continuing our efforts to promote our Latino employees to reach their full potential and advancement so we can best serve our diverse members and patients."

This award follows the recent news that Kaiser Permanente ranked No. 7 on the list of Top 50 Best Companies for Latinas to Work for in the United States, as rated by LATINA Style Magazine.

"Kaiser Permanente should be very proud of its Latino employee resource group. It is clear that KPLA is not only one of the best employee networks in the country, but is considered by many to be best-in-class with health care organizations," said Robert Rodriguez, PhD, chairman of the 2012 Latino ERG Summit and Corporate Challenge. "KPLA's ability to serve as both a talent engine for the firm and as an advocate to continuously enhance the quality of health care provided to the Latino community are just some of the reasons for their success. I have no doubt that KPLA's success and impact will only continue to grow."

KPLA's mission is to attract, inspire and support Latinos to achieve their full potential at all levels within Kaiser Permanente. KPLA offers its members a range of personal and professional development opportunities including networking, career development trainings, volunteerism, scholarships and more. All of KPLA's activities have the full endorsement of senior leadership.

Since its inception in Northern California in 1991, KPLA's membership has grown to more than 1,000 members. Kaiser Permanente has KPLA chapters in California, Colorado, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

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 to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9 million members in nine 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/newscenter.

For more information:
Amy Wang, [email protected], 510-267-2872

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente