Kaiser Permanente awards grants supporting access to youth and family services across Hawaiʻi

Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi has awarded grants totaling $275,000 to three local nonprofits to help fund their support of vulnerable youth and families throughout Hawaiʻi. Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies received a $75,000 grant award, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaiʻi received $50,000, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui, Inc. received $150,000.

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to improving maternal, child, and family health. The organization provides meals, mobile health services, and emotional support to all vulnerable pregnant and parenting people and new mothers in the state of Hawaiʻi. Funds will be used to support the Māna ‘Ai food distribution program which utilizes mobile health vehicles to provide clients with medically tailored meals, along with perinatal health care and mental health support. The organization is working to distribute 11,250 meals in 12 months.

The Boys & Girls Club of Hawaiʻi’s What’s Next Initiative is a cohort based, case management youth development program designed to directly support high-risk youth who have been identified as needing extra support to reach their full potential. Mentorship ensures that they have a plan in place for a successful post-high school life, one where they thrive as caring, responsible, and community-minded citizens. Targeted outcomes include 80% of participants are confident in their ability to be successful after high school.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui, Inc. operates a satellite club location, currently at Lahaina Intermediate, after its Lahaina location was destroyed during the Maui wildfires. The satellite location is home to the Healthy Lifestyles – West Maui Youth Program which provides health-related activities and education to young people, specifically those displaced by the Lahaina fires. Sixty youth between the ages of 8 and 17 participate in learning about emotional regulation, healthy relationships (with self and others), maintaining a healthy diet, and responsible decision-making.

“Kaiser Permanente believes in total health for all,” said John Yang, MD, president and medical director of Hawaiʻi Permanente Medical Group. “By supporting these impactful organizations, we hope to help lift up families and young people, strengthen community resilience, and cultivate a thriving, successful Hawaiʻi for generations to come.”

These grants are the latest in a series of contributions from Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi to help residents throughout the state receive vital support services that impact their overall health. In 2023, Kaiser Permanente dedicated over $3.1 million through community grants and scholarships to improve health and wellness in Hawaiʻi.