Kaiser Permanente Staff and Physicians Roll Up Their Sleeves on MLK Jr. Day of Service

By Johnny Ng

Instead of taking a day off on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Kaiser Permanente doctors, nurses, staff and their families took a “day on” of volunteering as part of the annual Kaiser Permanente Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 21.

This year, 80 Kaiser Permanente volunteers from southern Alameda County spent their “day on” at the Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center in Union City and at the Tri-City Health Clinic in Newark. The Kaiser Permanente Day of Service was achieved in partnership with HandsOn Bay Area, an organization that creates opportunities for people to volunteer, learn and lead in their communities.  

“Kaiser Permanente is committed to fulfilling our mission by making lives better for the communities we serve,” said Tom Hanenburg, Senior Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente in southern Alameda County.

At the Tiburcio Vasquez Health Clinic (TVHC), an eager army of volunteers painted walls and railings, built new furniture, and got their hands dirty with a backyard landscaping project.

“We very much appreciate having the help of the dedicated employees from Kaiser Permanente to help us rejuvenate our health center in Union City,” said David B. Vliet, Chief Executive Officer of TVHC.  “This long-standing asset of the community, which has been serving families in the community for over 40 years, will greatly benefit from the work, time, and energy provided by this wonderful team of volunteers.”

TVHC is a recipient of a two-year $50,000 Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Strategic Grant for its Promotoras Academy, a unique program that brings health education directly into the community. Over the past few years, the organization has received a variety of Kaiser Permanente community grants to increase violence prevention and education, enhance awareness of diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention and management, and to educate and empower teens to engage in safe sexual behaviors to prevent teen pregnancy.

“Kaiser Permanente works in partnership with communities to change the conditions in which we live and to make total health a reality for everyone,” said Robert Greenberg, Physician-in-Chief for Kaiser Permanente in southern Alameda County.

At the Tri-City Health Clinic, volunteers helped this important community clinic get and stay organized. Under the direction of clinic staff, they sorted through boxes of old medical records and got rid of outdated files.

In 2005, to honor and recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his advancement of civil and human rights, Kaiser Permanente established an annual day of service that takes place on Martin Luther King Day. This approach to celebrating Dr. King’s life has enabled thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians in Northern California to provide valuable services to our communities to honor the legacy of Dr. King.

In the past nine years, over 600 Kaiser Permanente physicians, nurses and staff from southern Alameda County have volunteered in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. This year, more than 9,000 Kaiser Permanente volunteers in Northern California, donated their time and skills across 120 projects.