Kaiser Permanente is the largest nonprofit and integrated health delivery system in the United States operating in seven regions in the country, namely California, ….. Kaiser Permanente history started when Henry J. Kaiser asked Dr. Garfield to provide health care to 6,500 workers and their families initially in 1930s, and later on for the second time, at the time of WWII when it was expanded to an organized prepaid group practice for the workers at the Richmond shipyards. Dr. Garfield’s innovative health care delivery system came to the San Francisco Bay Area, and formed the association with Kaiser that would imbed itself in the organization and continue until the present day (kp.org, History). On July 21, 1945, the Permanente Health Plan …show more content…
The health plans contract with the Permanente Medical Groups and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals to provide medical services for members. ‘Kaiser Foundation Hospitals’ is a nonprofit corporation that owns and operates community hospitals in California, Oregon, and Hawaii In addition, it owns outpatient facilities in several states, provides hospital services in other states, and sponsors charitable, educational, and research activities. ‘Permanente Medical Groups’ consists of partner physicians that are represented nationally by the Permanente Federation. The groups contract only with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans to provide medical services for members (kp.org, Kaiser Permanente Business Structure).
Over the past decade, Kaiser Permanente has been a frontrunner in prevention with focus on community and population health initiatives. Kaiser Permanente’s Community Health Initiatives aim to promote healthy living through prevention by supporting and advocating for change in policies and environmental perspectives in different communities and groups. KP’s Community Health Initiatives also invests in improving safety, economic, social, and emotional aspects of communities and neighborhoods (Kaiser community