South San Francisco, CA September 24, 2019 Submitted by Matt Skryja, Kaiser Permanente
Festival Theme of “Home” Puts Focus on Issues of Affordable Housing and Habitat Loss
Kaiser Permanente is proud to be the Premier Sponsor of the 9th San Francisco Green Film Festival (Green Film Fest) for the seventh year in a row, which focuses this year on housing and habitat loss.
“We are excited to once again sponsor San Francisco’s own environmentally focused film festival,” said Kirk Kleinschmidt, public affairs director, Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. “Its focus on organic food, alternative energy, housing, and sustainable transportation are issues that are very important to Kaiser Permanente.”
The festival’s theme of Home aligns with Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to improve people’s health, by addressing housing stability and homelessness through community investments and initiatives. This unique strategy advances Kaiser Permanente’s mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of its 12.2 million members along with the health of the 68 million residents living in the communities we serve.
“Kaiser Permanente has been an essential partner for us since we were in our early years,” said Rachel Caplan, founder and CEO, Green Film Fest. “Without the organization’s support, we wouldn’t be where we are today – holding our opening night at the Castro Theater and hosting a series of films addressing the connection between sustainability, health, and the community.”
For the fifth year in a row, Kaiser Permanente is the Opening Night Sponsor of the festival and is also being acknowledged as the Premier Sponsor for the week-long event. The Green Film Fest provides an opportunity for Kaiser Permanente to be highlighted as a green organization, from constructing LEED-certified buildings, to supporting community gardens and tree plantings, to maintaining a commitment to significantly reducing its carbon footprint. Since the first year sponsoring the film festival, Kaiser Permanente has participated on panels, often featuring Community Benefit and Community Relations leaders.
“We’re very proud that Kaiser Permanente is a national leader when it comes to environmental protection,” said Kleinschmidt. “The Green Film Fest is a fun, visual, community-focused way for the organization to tell its story and show its commitment.”
The Green Film Fest is just one of many Kaiser Permanente’s San Francisco greening efforts, some of which include support for Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) tree plantings and an urban orchard managed by FUF at its Geary Campus; and volunteer gardening days at over 30 partner community gardens, located everywhere from the Sunset District to the Tenderloin to the Bayview.
For more than 12 years, Kaiser Permanente has joined forces with the SF Rec and Parks Department, supporting seasonal events, local recreation centers, and holding its annual Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon and 5k Run/Walk in Golden Gate Park. Kaiser Permanente also has a robust partnership with the SF Botanical Garden, supporting the summertime series, Bean Sprouts Family Days, and the very popular Flower Piano events, where both formal concerts and impromptu playing is encouraged at pianos placed throughout the Botanical Garden. This year, Kaiser Permanente started its Yoga in the Park event in conjunction with the Flower Piano event.
Sustainable modes of transportation are also part of Kaiser Permanente’s green efforts. It has sponsored Walk SF and the SF Bicycle Coalition, both of which seek to transform San Francisco into a safer place for people to walk and bike to work, home, or school.
The Green Film Fest opens September 24 and runs through September 29. For ticket information, complete film schedules, and theatre locations visit http://www.greenfilmfest.org/.
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, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.3 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group 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 https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/.