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News release: NationalApril 14, 2004 For more information, call: HHS applauds Kaiser Permanente efforts to boost STEPS to a HealthierUS Oakland, CA – Kaiser Permanente has committed more than half a million dollars in grant money and services this year to fund partnerships that will tackle community health issues ranging from diabetes and obesity prevention to improving the skills of community health workers. The Kaiser Permanente STEPS Sustainment Grant Program was created to support and advance promising community partnerships that were developed in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) STEPS to a HealthierUS—a major initiative launched last year by HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. Eight communities across the country have received Kaiser Permanente STEPS Sustainment funding including Denver, CO, DeKalb County GA, Prince George's County, MA, San Francisco, San Diego and Santa Clara counties, CA, Multnomah County, OR, and Cleveland, OH. These grants are intended to sustain community health partnerships in Kaiser Permanente regions that were not funded federally. In Clark County, Washington, Kaiser Permanente supplemented a successful HHS grant application awarded to Community Choices 2010. "I applaud Kaiser Permanente's response to the Department's efforts to improve the lives of Americans through their direct support of community disease prevention and health promotion efforts," said Secretary Thompson. "By sharing responsibility on these important health issues, we can help more individuals live longer, better, and healthier lives." STEPS Sustainment partnerships are comprised of Kaiser Permanente, public and private health organizations, charitable agencies, faith-based groups, schools and other key community organizations. "The potential impact of these partnerships on the long-term health of our communities is significant," says Ray Baxter, Kaiser Permanente's Senior Vice President for Community Benefit. "We understand that our members cannot be healthy if they live and work in communities that are unhealthy. Community strategies are absolutely key to moving the needle on health outcomes. That is why we are delighted to support these important and exciting partnerships." Kaiser Permanente is America's leading nonprofit, integrated health plan, serving the health care needs of over 8.2 million members in 9 states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente's Community Benefit program improves the health of communities through grants, partnerships, education, research and services to vulnerable populations. Over the past nine years the organization has steadily increased its community benefit spending, reaching a high last year of more than $640 million. The HHS STEPS to a HealthierUS program—http://www.healthierus.gov/steps/—provides funding for states, cities, and tribal entities to implement chronic disease prevention efforts focused on reducing the burden of diabetes, overweight, obesity, and asthma and address three related risk factors—physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use. HHS distributed $13.6 million to 12 applicants in 2003. Kaiser Permanente STEPS Sustainment Grants - 2004 San Diego, California The program: Multi-level diabetes prevention initiatives focusing on the Diamond Neighborhood of Southeast San Diego; target population includes students at two elementary schools and their parents. The program is comprised of several components: 1) the California Black Health Network will organize and provide in-class and after school physical activity and nutrition education; these programs will be extended to a nearby community center which will provide after school and weekend programs; 2) Project Dulce will provide a pre-diabetes training session for parents of charter school students and school nurses; 3) screening and referral will be available for adults in target neighborhood; 4) churches will provide pre-diabetes and diabetes support groups. 5) Kaiser Permanente will coordinate this initiative with an existing Jacobs Family Foundation Neighborhood Funders Project in the same community.
San Francisco, California The program: Primary and secondary prevention of obesity and diabetes targeting the Inner Mission area. Interventions include: 1) development of a diabetes management system (e.g., data systems to better manage patient care in both community and city; clinical care and self-support programs); 2) community-based self-management support (e.g., use of peer-lead self-management classes in community settings, training of Spanish speaking diabetes educators); 3) community-based prevention (e.g., use of resident activists to assess barriers to healthy eating and physical activity in the target neighborhood, effecting and tracking changes through community evaluation methods).
Santa Clara, California The program: Increase access and linkages to diabetes services by recruiting and training peer "Health Promoters." Health Promoters, working in conjunction with community health centers and other partners, will identify and link individuals within the community to services. They will also provide self-management classes and promote the importance of diabetes risk assessment and screening/diagnostic testing among high-risk individuals. Uninsured children and adults will be referred to enrollment counselors for health care coverage eligibility determination.
Denver, Colorado The program: Improve the efficiency and skills of community health workers funded by agencies in the Denver area. Activities include: 1) developing an inventory of existing community outreach programs; 2) developing an inventory and assessment of health worker training; and 3) coordinating these activities through a series of regular multi-agency meetings. Grant funds will also support an additional community health advisor in the Capitol Hill area.
DeKalb County, Georgia The program: Develop a Healthy DeKalb initiative featuring a health awareness campaign and the creation of a framework for further action planning. Specific activities include: 1) utilizing county-specific Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (YBRFSS) and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) data to identify major health issues in the county; 2) designing a social marketing campaign with key health messages around identified major health issues; 3) expanding and mobilizing community support for a Healthy DeKalb initiative; and 4) identifying and build a repository of health promotion activities available to DeKalb residents.
Prince George's County, Maryland The program: Support the Department of Health's emerging STEPS/Lifestyle Initiative by: 1) creating a Lifestyle Initiative Community Coalition; 2) conducting town hall meetings and focus groups to get input from community members on the establishment and operation of such an initiative; and 3) conduct an annual summit to foster engagement of multiple stakeholders and identify local efforts that can be built on. A major goal of the coalition is to find ways to sustain STEPS activity.
Multnomah County, Oregon The program: Develop and execute a local communications campaign around STEPS goals including development and testing of a slogan, logo and messages on fitness, nutrition and smoking. The social marketing plan will identify: 1) audience segments to be addressed; 2) behavioral objectives; and 3) messages and channels for dissemination; and 4) an evaluation of activities.
Cleveland, Ohio The program: Pilot of the American Cancer Society's Active for Life worksite physical activity program. Intervention sites include the City Law Department and Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Program will be supplemented with a nutrition education component. Intervention includes a 10-week education program, point-of-decision prompts, cultivation of social support (e.g., walking teams), incentives and competitions.
Clark County, Washington (Received a Federal STEPS Grant) The program: Community Choices 2010, was awarded a five-year, federal STEPS grant to support its community-based disease prevention and health promotion initiative with a focus on obesity prevention. CC 2010 has focused on three key areas: environmental health, population health, and individual health. Its initiatives to date have included a child accident prevention program, a program to increase child readiness to learn, and a community tobacco cessation. Kaiser Permanente, which has been an ongoing partner and contributor to CC 2010, is supplementing the federal STEPS grant to develop a social marketing plan encouraging fitness, nutrition and smoking cessation/prevention.
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