An Afternoon on the Mound with Grandparents as Parents

The crowd roared with delight as 5-year-old angela durante threw the first pitch to her grandmother, Georgia durante, straight, strong and true at Dodger Stadium this past August.

The pair was among representatives from Grandparents as Parents (GAP), Kaiser Permanente’s community partner at the Los Angeles Dodgers game on August 28.This is the third year in a row that Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills has invited community partners to a Los Angeles Dodgers game. GAP’s mission is to provide programs and services that meet the urgent and ongoing needs of grandparents and other relatives raising at-risk children.

The San Fernando Valley group holds its weekly meetings at our Woodland Hills Medical Center, not only providing emotional support for kinship care providers but also helping family members to navigate important issues at school, in court and with government agencies.

At the ball game, Angela and Georgia Durante were joined on the field by GAP Executive Director madelyn Gordon and her family, including her daughter and son-in-law rachel and Joseph rickson and granddaughter

mariah Gordon-Garrett. Also on the field were Kaiser Permanente’s own Greg Kelman, MD, Assistant Area Medical Director, with his son, Joshua, and GAP Board Chair Bill Fox.

A six-week summer program for Ventura County teens that emphasized job shadowing and dissection lessons ended in September with a farewell luncheon for the participants and their Kaiser Permanente mentors.

The program was inspired by former participants of Kaiser Permanente’s Hippocrates Circle Program who requested more hands-on learning activities and job shadowing opportunities. The new program drew 19 local high school students who met with physicians, nurses and other health care professionals at our medical offices in Oxnard and Camarillo.

Beverly valles Torres, MD, MPH, the program’s physician champion, worked countless hours, volunteering her time and reaching out to her colleagues to make the pilot a reality.

“Participation by physicians was voluntary with each clinician mentoring students a half-day a week”, says Dr. Torres. “Some physicians mentored their student as a fly on the wall while others went above and beyond the half-day-a-week commitment.”

Physicians provided a variety of real-life experiences for the students. Timothy horita, MD, for example, showed students how to tie surgical knots while other physicians encouraged students to listen to the hearts and lungs of patients.

In addition to shadowing physicians, the students attended weekly lunch-and-learn seminars covering topics, including Nursing by elena Gomez, RN; Joanne Burkley, RN; and cheryl Burnett, RN, Assistant Department Administrator; Family Practice by Dr. Horita, Plastic Surgery by Stephanie Feldman, MD; Pharmacy by Bob deamer,

PharmD, and Physical Therapy by Bettye Torres-Saleh, DPT.

The highlight of the program was the simulated cardiac dissection lab with cydney Stewart, MD, Chief of Cardiology. This was made possible through the dedication of diana Jones, RN, Care Manager, Bariatric Surgery.

Visionary Leadership Fosters summer Youth Program in Oxnard

KP physicians and staff are mentoring Ventura County teens

Representatives from Kaiser Permanente and community partner, Grandparents as Parents, at Dodger Stadium.

Angela Durante, 5, throws the first pitch at Dodger Stadium.

Students participate in simulated cardiac dissection lab.

voices Woodland HillsKP October 2011

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tabLe OF COntents

Still Time to Impact Attendance, Healthy Workforce Goals ..... 1Woodland Hills Named “Top Performer” ................................ 2Inpatient Nurses Test Their Competency Skills ........................ 3Donation Drive Collects Over 200 Backpacks .......................... 5

Revitalize Your Health with a Personal Wellness Coach ........... 6New Thrive Campaign Demonstrates KP’s Evolving Role ........ 7Get Fit! 5K Walk/Run/Stroll....................................................... 8

neWSBiTeS

Physicians and staff from our medical center and outlying clinics donated more than 200 backpacks for needy schoolchildren throughout the West San Fernando Valley and Ventura County.

More than 40 departments and diversity groups participated in this year’s backpack drive, which was organized by Kaiser Permanente and the Westminster Free Clinic, a nonprofit health care provider in East Ventura County.

The response from physicians and staff were impressive. About 40 departments participated in the drive, including Obstetrics/Gynecology and Genetics, which donated 33 backpacks; Family Practice, which contributed 36 and Dermatology, which donated 11.

“We surpassed our initial goal of collecting 150 backpacks,” says michelle rose aragones, LMP Coordinator, who organized the drive for Kaiser Permanente.

In early September, a group of staff and physicians visited the Westminster Free Clinic to distribute the backpacks to students.

“We had a great time seeing the joy this drive brought to the kids; little and big, and even some college kids, enjoying their new backpacks filled with crucial school supplies,” says ursula doidic, Assistant Medical Group Administrator, “I want to thank all who were involved, including those who could not come to

Westminster and see for themselves the joy they brought to the kids.”

Donation Drive Collects Over 200 backpacks for needy Kids

Visionary Leadership Fosters summer Youth Program in Oxnard

KP physicians and staff are mentoring Ventura County teens

Cydney Stewart, MD, provides encouraging words during the dissection lesson

Dermatology was one of 40 departments to donate backpacks.

Ob-Gyn and Genetics staff donated 33 backpacks.

Diana obtained eight sheep hearts and dissection kits and the students learned about atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and titanium stents.

The program benefitted both students and the departments in which they volunteered.

Students provided memorable visits for members by greeting them at the door and helping them to feel welcome. These young people also helped the clinics meet service goals by providing way-finding assistance and compiling new membership mailing lists, welcome folders and conducting member registration for Thrive Walks led every day by clinic doctors and nurses.

Teens appreciated the learning opportunities. “Shadowing doctors convinced me that I wanted to become

a doctor”, remarked one student. “I got to experience what they really do.”

Thanks to the following physicians and staff who volunteered:michelle uaje, MD; Le Tong, MD; Seth Stevens, MD; Lauren

Le, MD; Jan Schilling, MD; marie alfaro-Breeze, MD; eric chun, MD; derrick d’costa, MD; Tim horita, MD; al Kam, MD; Genevieve moya, MD; Kevin nishimori, MD; donn Browne, MD; cathy Sanders , MD; ernie pillado, MD; Johanna Gabbard, DPT; Linda Brown, PT; Jennifer Schneider, DPT; and chris Johnson, Orthopedic Technician.

Additional acknowledgement goes to Stephanie Gonzales, Unit Manager, cris aguilar, Department Administrator, and charlotte

Johnson, Unit Manager, for their administrative support of the program.

Plans are in the works to continue the program next year through a partnership between the Hippocrates Circle Program and Community Benefit. For more information about ways you can help local students, contact Jennifer S. Lopez, Community Benefit Manager, at 8-348-4121.

voices Woodland HillsKPOctober 2011

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tabLe OF COntents

Still Time to Impact Attendance, Healthy Workforce Goals 1Woodland Hills Named “Top Performer” 2Inpatient Nurses Test Their Competency Skills 3Visionary Leadership Fosters Summer Youth Program 4

An Afternoon on the Mound with Grandparents as Parents 4Revitalize Your Health with a Personal Wellness Coach 6New Thrive Campaign Demonstrates KP’s Evolving Role 7Get Fit! 5K Walk/Run/Stroll 8