Kaiser Permanente partners with Santa Rosa City Schools

Kaiser Permanente has contributed $500,000 to the Santa Rosa Integrated Wellness Center, recently established by Santa Rosa City Schools to provide immediate, year-round and long-term counseling, medical, and academic support to families in Santa Rosa affected by the 2017 Sonoma County wildfires.

The grant will be used to ensure continuity of mental health services during periods when the school district is not open, such as summer months and winter break. Services will be provided to all county residents, whether or not they have children in the school district and regardless of documentation status.

“It will take years to rebuild and likely years to recover from the traumatic impact of the fires in this community. Children feel that impact, and many need counseling, tutoring or extra support to recover,” said Diann Kitamura, Superintendent, Santa Rosa City Schools. “We are grateful to Kaiser Permanente for their generous grant to help provide that support at the new Integrated Wellness Center. More people will be able to access the resources they need outside of the regular school day.”

The Integrated Wellness Center, located at 2232 Lomitas Avenue, is now open to provide free counseling, basic nurse services, and academic support, for families affected by the wildfires. The Center is available for any students and families in the area, not just in the Santa Rosa school district. Children, parents, and families only need to provide the name of their school, no other personal information is required. Open during summer: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m. Call 707-284-8225 for an appointment or more information.

The Kaiser Permanente grant, part of its Community Benefit/Community Health program, will continue ongoing therapeutic services to individuals who are currently receiving services, serve residents seeking services for the first time, and provide related services as needed for families seeking counseling, including medical care, academic support and referrals to additional community supports.

“We believe it’s important to provide continuity of care and services to these children and families,” said Kaiser Permanente’s Judy Coffey, RN, Sr. VP and Area Manager, Marin-Sonoma. “The Center is an important component of our community’s mental health and wellness efforts, and we’re proud to support the work it does and continue our partnership with Santa Rosa City Schools.”

Past Kaiser Permanente investments include funding for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to support development and implementation of a district-wide wellness policy and funding of the Santa Rosa Community Health Center at Elsie Allen High School as part of the Resilience Initiative to address social emotional support for students and staff.