LIHUE — When the conversation turns to Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Bev Brody turns all smiles.
“I hold Kaiser Permanente in the highest regard. When they give money to the community, they really give money to the comunity,” she said. “They have the community’s well being at heart, always.”
“I love working with them,” she added.
And it’s clear, Kaiser Permanente loves working with the director of Get Fit Kauai.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii announced this week it will give four local nonprofits more than $188,000 in community benefit grants. The grants support Kaiser Permanente’s mission of total health by funding programs that improve the mental, physical and social well-being of Hawaii’s residents.
Get Fit Kauai received $68,550 to promote community health. It will use the funding to support three key areas of focus: worksite wellness, safe school routes, and research and development of new health and safety programs.
University of Hawaii Foundation – HICORE received $65,000 for the Hawaii 5210 Let’s Go program. HICORE will use its grant funds to develop and disseminate educational resources on topics related to early childhood health for families and early childhood care centers.
Hawaii Primary Care Association received $29,500 for its Feel Good educational initiative. The initiative aims to develop resources and tools to raise awareness and encourage actions to prevent the onset of chronic diseases such as diabetes.
Catholic Charities received $25,000 for its counseling services and Ohana Time Visits program. Through these efforts, Catholic Charities provides counseling to individuals, couples and families in Hawaii to promote healthy relationships and reunify children with their biological parents.
Brody said Kaiser Permanente is a presenting sponsor of the Mayor-a-thon in June. The 2018 version of this free community event, which attracts several hundred people, will be its 10th anniversary and will be the last overseen by Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., who bikes and leads activities in dancing the Electric Slide.
Carvalho will be termed out as mayor and is running for lieutenant governor.
“We’re going to really make it a special year,” Brody said.
Brody said Get Fit Kauai has a three-year agreement to accept money from Kaiser Permanente. In exchange, Get Fit Kauai works to provide for the community’s health and fitness needs, which is does through work, school and community programs that affect thousands on Kauai.
A goal is to help influence and shape the environment to support an active lifestyle.
The Worksite Wellness Challenge is set to begin in January, with the first 15 teams that take a survey between Jan. 2 and Jan. 19. There is already a waiting list of businesses that want to be part of it.
Get Fit Kauai is a program of the Hawaii Public Health Institute and funded in part by the state Department of Health.
