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Kaiser Permanente and Wave FC Double Down on Empowering and Improving Women’s Total Health
Naomi Girma named as Kaiser Permanente’s first female sports ambassador to continue the joint commitment towards empowering women and youth through their San Diego Wave FC partnership.
SAN DIEGO – March 8, 2023 – Kaiser Permanente is proud to announce that San Diego Wave FC star defender Naomi Girma will serve as the health care provider’s first female ambassador in 2023. The addition of Girma complements the second year of Kaiser Permanente’s partnership with the San Diego Wave Fútbol Club as their Trusted Team Physicians and Official Health Care partner for the upcoming 2023 season.
As a First Founding Partner for the club last year, both organizations leveraged their work to support initiatives that would empower and improve women’s total health. The partnership will launch their first Wave of Wellness Fit Clinic presented by Kaiser Permanente on March 12. The clinic will provide advanced educational training for selected local affiliate soccer leagues where the youth will engage in fitness activities, nutrition workshops, mental wellness sessions, and additional wellness resources provided by the Kaiser Permanente care team.
“I am humbled and grateful to serve as the partnership’s first female ambassador. Mental health is near and dear to my heart and this opportunity will allow my voice to reach a greater audience, specifically the women and youth of San Diego,” says Girma. “Let’s work together to break down the barriers surrounding female health and wellness to help build a more supportive and inclusive community.”
The 2023 partnership is committed to making a positive impact in the San Diego community, with a refined focus on four key areas: Total Health programming for local youth and women, mental wellness, health equity, and nutritional resources with support to access to healthy foods. Through the launch of the Wave of Wellness Fit Clinics presented by Kaiser Permanente local community organizations will receive necessary resources to promote their mental and physical well-being, including access to local Kaiser Permanente medical experts and wellness resources.
“This partnership is a continuation of our commitment to empowering diverse individuals everywhere, and we are thrilled to share valuable resources that can help drive the next generation of youth toward success,” said Julie Miller-Phipps, president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii Health Plan and Hospitals. “For nearly a century, Kaiser Permanente has been a company that values diversity and inclusion at every level of the organization. We’re proud of the fact that nearly 69 percent of our current total workforce are members of racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities, and 74 percent identify as female.”
Through this dynamic partnership, Kaiser Permanente will continue to provide the Wave FC’s athletes unparalleled care on the field as their trusted team physicians. To ensure Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to staying at the forefront of sports medicine and research, physicians offer detailed sideline care, assessment, and treatment while establishing programs that emulate the organization’s philosophy towards medical excellence, community wellness, and total health.
In just her first season with Wave FC, Girma was recently titled as the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Rookie and Defender of the Year. The U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) also selected Girma as a defender for the 2023 SheBelieves Cup.
Donating COVID-19 supplies
Kaiser Permanente is humbled by the outpouring of support we have received from our communities and business partners to help source additional supplies.
Kaiser Permanente is aggressively working to secure the necessary personal protective equipment and other critical supplies to safeguard our employees and physicians in our medical centers in accordance with the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization guidelines, as well as guidance from our own infectious disease experts for clinical quality and safety.
As COVID-19 is now spreading quickly through many communities, our equipment and supply needs have increased significantly and so have our efforts. We are rapidly planning to ensure that we understand and can respond to the anticipated patient surge. We are evaluating various epidemic models and aligning our current and future supply needs.
We are also working with our current vendors and have expanded our reach to include nontraditional suppliers and are partnering with manufacturers and raw material suppliers to produce specific critical supplies, such as masks.
We are developing a national donation network to ensure equitable distribution of critical supplies across Kaiser Permanente and other health care providers. Donations will be brought to a central distribution center in each market where a team will inventory, inspect, and distribute these donations to our medical centers. This will include the appropriate clinical review by infectious disease leaders.
How you can help
Organizations and individuals interested in donating supplies can email information about items they'd like to donate to KPCOVID-19Donations@kp.org. We will contact the donor with further instructions, including how and where to send the donated items.
Items acceptable for donation include:
- Medical swabs for collecting screening samples
- Medical-grade and industrial-grade N95 masks
- Other masks (surgical, isolation, and all others)
- Gowns (surgical and isolation)
- Face shields
- Goggles
- Gloves
- Antiseptic wipes
- Hand sanitizer
For the safety of Kaiser Permanente patients and staff, all donations must be new, unopened, and in their original packaging. All donors will be provided in-kind donation forms for tax deduction purposes.
Do you know a vendor or manufacturer who is interested in helping?
Vendors and manufacturers able to provide needed supplies are invited to contact BuytoPay@kp.org with details, and a member of our sourcing team will follow up with them.