Kaiser Permanente awards $800K to local organizations for heart attack and stroke preventive care

Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Region is providing $800,000 in grants to health organizations in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties to help increase access to care for people who are at greatest risk for heart attacks and strokes.

The grants are part of a larger, $5.8 million investment aimed at expanding the reach and scope of the organization’s Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes Every day (PHASE) program, as well as to support training and technical assistance aimed at optimizing implementation of the program in community settings.

PHASE combines medications and lifestyle changes to provide an evidence-based, cost-effective treatment for people with existing heart disease and those at greatest risk for developing it, including individuals with diabetes who are ages 55 years and older.

“Since Kaiser Permanente was founded, our mission has been to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve,” said Deborah Friberg, Sr. Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. “These grants will help local health centers provide vital services to people in need who might not otherwise have access to this care.”

San Joaquin General Hospital will receive $500,000 to implement the PHASE protocol at its three primary care clinics over the next 36 months.

Community Medical Centers will receive $150,000 to help redesign workflows at one of its clinics to align with the PHASE methodology.

Golden Valley Health Centers will receive $150,000 to implement PHASE at four clinic sites in the Central Valley, with the expectation it will be spread to its remaining sites at the end of the grant period.

Kaiser Permanente estimates these efforts will serve more than 30,000 at-risk members of our communities.