What is the Center for Black Health and Wellness?
The Center for Black Health and Wellness is a primary care center that will be located within the East Interstate Medical Office in North Portland. It will be a new option for Kaiser Permanente Northwest members interested in receiving primary care services.
The goal of our center is to improve the health of our Black members, elevate their care experience, continue to build trust, create culturally responsive care, and best practices that can be shared across our organization and the health care community.
It will be led by a team of clinicians with experience in providing exceptional culturally competent care to Black patients and their families. We here at Kaiser Permanente Northwest recognize that studies show Black patients have better health outcomes when they have Black clinician(s) and care teams that are highly experienced in providing culturally responsive care.
“The Kaiser Permanente Center for Black Health and Wellness is equity in action. Creating this clinic is another important step in our commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity — and I can’t wait to see it come to life as soon as possible. I’m proud to be part of this effort and part of an organization where eliminating health care disparities is a high priority.”
— Jane Akpamgbo, MD
Why is there a need for a Center for Black Health and Wellness?
Equity is one of Kaiser Permanente’s founding principles. We believe everyone deserves the chance to live a healthy life; and we’re working to eradicate racial disparities in health outcomes while making health care equitable and inclusive.
Inequity still pervades many aspects of our society. Health care is no exception. Today, Black Americans are less healthy than their white counterparts. Disparities include higher rates of chronic conditions, shorter life expectancy, higher maternal mortality, and lower screening rates for cancer and heart disease.
We’re committed to innovations in care that have the potential to reduce racial disparities in these health outcomes.
What type of care will the Center for Black Health and Wellness provide?
The Center for Black Health and Wellness will open with a focus on primary care services, with plans to expand to specialty care over time.
The Center for Black Health and Wellness clinicians are primary care clinicians — completely connected to and closely collaborating with all Kaiser Permanente Northwest specialists, services, and departments. The goal of the Center for Black Health and Wellness is to enhance and expand the care of our Black patients, not limit it.
“We are committed to providing culturally responsive care that moves the needle on health outcomes, improving life expectancy and leading patients to better follow-through with the recommendations of their health care team.”
— Leong Koh, MD
CEO and President
Northwest Permanente