To celebrate the successes of local non-profit organizations that work to make the Santa Clarita Valley healthier, Kaiser Permanente awarded more than $62,000 in grant funding to eight well-deserving community organizations and showcased its newest facility.

At a preview event on November 3, grant recipients, elected officials, and community VIPs gathered at Kaiser Permanente’s new Santa Clarita Medical Offices 2 for an exclusive sneak peek of the new specialty care facility, scheduled to open in March 2018.

More than 70 years of experience in caring for millions of patients in Southern California has gone into the evolved design of the new building that will bring specialty care close to home for residents of the Santa Clarita Valley.

In the photo above, leaders from Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center present a check for $62,000 of community benefit grant funding to representatives of eight local Santa Clarita Valley community nonprofit organizations.

With a welcoming aesthetic that doesn’t look or feel like your typical clinical setting, the 64,000-square-foot medical office represents Kaiser Permanente’s evolution toward creating highly efficient, environmentally-friendly facilities designed to improve the member experience.

“The facility incorporates sustainability elements that will help protect the environment,” said Payman Roshan, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente Panorama City. “The building is on target to be LEED Gold certified once finalized. Water consumption will be at least 38 percent better, and lighting controls will be maximized for energy savings, as much as 49 percent. We also meet the LEED requirements for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.”

The new design will also enable greater connectivity with physicians using advanced technology, including the option for remote check-in via the Kaiser Permanente app, and text message alerts to notify patients when their provider is ready so they’re not glued to a waiting room chair. Video consultations will also be available on-demand, saving patients valuable time.

Open-space waiting areas will educate, entertain, and reinforce Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to total health.

“As the largest nonprofit, integrated healthcare system in the country, Kaiser Permanente has a social mission to improve the health of the communities we serve,” said Murtaza Sanwari, chief operating officer, Kaiser Permanente Panorama City. “We are proud to say ever since we opened our first medical offices here in 1994, we have been a strong advocate for the well-being of individuals and families in the Santa Clarita Valley.”

Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit Grants Program awards grants to organizations committed to early detection and treatment of chronic diseases, improving physical and nutritional health in local communities, and expanding access to care for lower-income and uninsured individuals.

On November 3, Kaiser Permanente announced eight grants totaling $62,626 to the following community agencies and programs:

* Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley encourages low-income youth in the Santa Clarita Valley to adopt healthy lifestyles through their half-hour hustle after-school program, provision of healthy snacks, cooking classes, and team and recreational sports.

* Bridge to Home expands its Healthy Lives Medical and Dental programs with a Health Navigator providing on-site coordination and case management for homeless individuals in the Santa Clarita Valley connecting them to clinical care and helping clients establish medical homes.

* Carousel Ranch provides equestrian therapy and physical exercise for children with special needs who are at risk of obesity resulting from a sedentary lifestyle.

* Child & Family Center provides school-based mental health support and counseling for children showing early signs of behavioral health problems in elementary school.

* Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita provides on-site mental health counseling support to victims of domestic violence and their children at the emergency shelter.

* Northeast Valley Health Corporation provides a diabetes self-management program for low-income Spanish-speaking Latino patients in the Santa Clarita Valley.

* Samuel Dixon Family Health Center provides much needed retinal screenings for low income uninsured diabetic patients in the Santa Clarita Valley.

* Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center provides case management, health & wellness programming, and screenings to low-income seniors in the Santa Clarita Valley.

For more Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit programs, visit community.kp.org.

Kaiser Permanente Santa Clarita Medical Offices 2 is scheduled to open in March 2018, offering specialty services such as Cardiology, Hematology, Oncology, Neurology, Orthopedics, Podiatry, Urology and more—plus several outpatient surgical suites. For more information about Santa Clarita Medical Offices 2, visit kp.org/santaclarita.