EUGENE, Oregon - Kaiser Permanente Northwest and PeaceHealth will collaborate to address community health needs and increase access to care in Lane County.
The two organizations are currently developing a jointly funded community health initiative to address a number of areas identified in the Lane County Health Needs Assessment. The focus areas selected include transitional and recuperative housing, access to dental care for people in need, strengthening school-based health centers, and workforce development efforts to support community health workers.
In addition, PeaceHealth and Kaiser Permanente have agreed to collaborate on health care delivery and coverage in Lane County.
"PeaceHealth and Kaiser Permanente share a deeply held commitment not only to meet the immediate health care needs of our patients and communities we collectively serve, but also to practice preventive health — moving upstream to address the unique and specific social determinants of health that are barriers to wellness," said Rand O'Leary, chief executive of PeaceHealth's Oregon network.
"Together, PeaceHealth and Kaiser Permanente, working strategically with other community leaders, can improve the health of Lane County's most vulnerable citizens and keep care local," said Janet O'Hollaren, chief operating officer, Northwest, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals.
"Our 126-year heritage at PeaceHealth is rooted in caring for the most vulnerable," said David Duffey, DO, vice president and medical director of PeaceHealth Medical Group in Oregon. "We're excited to work together with Kaiser Permanente to best serve the health and well-being of all Lane County residents."
"Permanente Medicine is all about collaboration, and learning and sharing of evidence-based best practices, with the patient at the core of everything we do. We look forward to our partnerships in Lane County doing just that!" said Imelda Dacones, MD, president and CEO, Northwest Permanente, P.C.
Community health initiatives supporting Lane County nonprofits will be announced in December.
Kaiser Permanente has a medical office building and dental office in Lane County. Current members in Lane County include dental members and medical members with out-of-area coverage. Kaiser Permanente is also providing care to Medicaid members through Trillium Community Health Plan.
PeaceHealth offers a number of medical services in Oregon, including four medical centers located in Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove and Florence. In addition, 20 PeaceHealth Medical Group clinics provide primary care and specialty services throughout Lane County with specialty outreach to adjacent counties.
For more information, contact:
Michael Foley – Kaiser Permanente
michael.g.foley@kp.org
503-813-4942
Jeremy Rush – PeaceHealth
jrush2@peacehealth.org
615-255-3967
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, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 11.3 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia, including more than 570,000 medical and 260,000 dental members in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, dentists, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical and dental 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.
About PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 900 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.
