Kaiser Permanente Gives Grants For World AIDS Day

In commemoration of World AIDS Day, which is Wednesday, Kaiser Permanente Southern California today awarded grants totaling $357,557 to 35 nonprofit organizations to fund a variety of services for people living with HIV and AIDS, including dental care, youth education and screening programs.

Since 2000, Kaiser Permanente Southern California has awarded more than $3 million in community benefit HIV/AIDS grants.

“We provide quality care to over 7,000 HIV-positive patients and collaborate with organizations in services for non-members who are at risk of, or have acquired, the disease. The latter is where our education and community benefit grants play an important role,” said Dr. William J. Towner, regional HIV/AIDS physician coordinator and medical director of Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s HIV/AIDS Research Trials Program.

The latest grant recipients include:

— the Laguna Beach Community Clinic in Anaheim, which received $5,000 to target underserved Latinos with HIV/AIDS;

— the Alliance for Housing and Healing in Los Angeles, which was awarded $12,000 to continue to provide community housing options and support services to homeless people living with HIV/AIDS and their family members; and

— Mama’s Kitchen in San Diego, which received $12,000 to continue providing healthy food to people with HIV/AIDS.