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Kaiser Permanente Opens Its Doors to Serve Members in South Los Angeles

"The opening of the new Kaiser Permanente South Los Angeles Medical Office Building is one example of ways we can address the need for quality health care in the South Los Angeles community," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Norris Byrd, a Kaiser Permanente member and South Los Angeles resident who is active in her local community, says that she is very excited about having health care services in her neighborhood. "Having medical offices in South Los Angeles is a tremendous benefit to our community and to me personally," states Ms. Byrd. "Now I can pick up my prescriptions just four blocks from my home, instead of going to Inglewood or Gardena for these services."

The new Kaiser Permanente South Los Angeles Medical Offices will provide primary care services including family medicine and pediatrics, X-ray and laboratory services, an on site pharmacy, as well as health classes and programs, all of which focus on prevention. Kaiser Permanente's prevention and early intervention efforts are further supported by Kaiser Permanente's HealthConnect electronic medical record system, which gives caregivers immediate access to a member's critical medical information.

"Through our advanced technology, our physicians will be able to coordinate care with every other physician that is treating our members," said Tumani Leatherwood, MD, physician in charge for the Kaiser Permanente South Los Angeles Medical Offices. "Every primary care provider will be able to treat and advise South Los Angeles members based on their entire health record, and members will be able to email their doctors with simple questions instead of having to make appointments."

The 15,000-square-foot facility represents a $10 million investment by Kaiser Permanente in South Los Angeles. Kaiser Permanente also has a long history of serving members who reside in South Los Angeles and supporting clinics, grassroots organizations and schools in the area. Kaiser Permanente has provided more than $8 million in grants and services to South Los Angeles organizations and the Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center provides $250,000 in annual grants to community health organizations.

The Kaiser Permanente South Los Angeles Medical Office Building has a staff of 32 nurses, physicians and support staff. Many are bilingual providers, and reflect the diversity of the region. Heading the new medical offices are Tumani Leatherwood, MD, physician in charge, and Jose Cervantes, MD, assistant physician in charge.

A video about the South Los Angeles Medical Offices opening is available on Kaiser Permanente's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdlwe-w6KxU.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 3.3 million members in Southern California. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

Kaiser Permanente
Southern California Region
María Elena Aguilar
Mobile: 323-346-7237