The UCLA School of Public Health has received a $5.2 million gift from Kaiser Permanente to endow the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity. The center, formerly known as the Center to Eliminate Health Disparities, is dedicated to improving the health of underserved populations through research, community collaboration and leadership development.
"This generous funding from Kaiser Permanente will enable the center to expand its ability to bring critical resources and attention to communities with the greatest needs," said Linda Rosenstock, M.D., M.P.H., dean of the UCLA School of Public Health. "Until now, the center has lacked the core support necessary to most effectively address the unacceptable gaps in health status among some in our communities."
"Kaiser Permanente is deeply committed to addressing issues of social inequality in all communities," said Raymond J. Baxter, Ph.D., senior vice president for community benefit, research and health policy at Kaiser Permanente. "Our investment in the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity is designed to foster greater collaboration between academia, health care providers and the community to help ensure that health equity becomes the norm for everyone in our state and across the nation."
The center will support partnerships with community-based organizations to conduct innovative research and develop effective programs and strategies to eliminate health disparities.
"The very health of our communities is now in the spotlight, but the issue of health equity has persisted under the radar for far too long," said Benjamin Chu, M.D., M.P.H., M.A.C.P., president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California. "We must challenge assumptions and open our minds to the possibilities of what focused research and collaboration can mean to the lives of thousands of families who are struggling to preserve their health. This new center has the potential to inspire positive change, and we will be there with them every step of the way."