Solano, Napa Clinics Receive Kaiser Windfall

Solano, Napa Clinics Receive Kaiser Windfall
By Andrea E. Garcia

FAIRFIELD - Kaiser Permanente announced Friday a total of $1.16 million in grants that will be awarded to clinics and clinic consortiums that serve residents in Solano and Napa counties.

A grant of $400,000 was awarded to the Clinic Consortium, which represents La Clinica de la Raza in Vallejo; Community Medical Centers in Dixon and Vacaville; and Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo in Vallejo. Funding will be used toward electronic health records at Planned Parenthood and an expansion of efforts to treat chronic illnesses at the Community Medical Centers and La Clinica.

Another $760,000 was awarded to La Clinica, Clinic Ole in Napa and the Redwood Community Health Consortium.

"We realize it is important for quality improvement efforts to expand individual clinics so that they can have the best available practice," said Gayle Hunt, community benefits manager for Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano. "It's our mission to not just serve our members but make sure we improve the community in which we live and work."

The funds, a slice of 57 grants in quality improvement and health information technology totaling $7 million throughout Northern California, is part of a health care safety net that helps providers offer high quality preventive care through funding, training and technical support.

"The Clinic Consortium is pleased to have a leadership role in this grant which is designed very specifically to continue to improve access to high quality care in the Solano County region," said Tanir Ami, executive director of the Clinic Consortium, in a press release. "Although the clinics in this area have been delivering top-notch services for many years, we are always looking for ways to continue to improve health outcomes for the greater population."

Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region Community Benefit plans to award more than $28.5 million in grants for community programs, an increase from the $23 million donated in 2006.

Reach Andrea E. Garcia at 427-6953 or agarcia@dailyrepublic.net.