Kaiser Permanente in Rockville, Maryland, has announced grants totaling $1.08 million to over forty-five community health organizations in the Washington, D.C., area.

The grants, awarded through Kaiser's Community Health Impact initiative, support programs that emphasize health promotion, physical activity, nutrition, and wellness. Among the grants was $13,500 to the Arlington Free Clinic in Arlington, Virginia, for a program to provide weight loss and exercise intervention to one hundred obese patients with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension; and $25,000 to the Baltimore City Health Department's Harford Heights Family Fun and Fitness Program, which provides culturally appropriate health education materials, cooking and fitness demonstrations, and a variety of inexpensive activities targeted toward children. Other grants included $25, 000 to D.C.-based Bright Beginnings to support its Eat Right, Live Well program; $8,000 to the Mercy Health Clinic's Upcounty Regional Services Center in Germantown, Maryland, to support an obesity education program; and $25,000 to Living Healthy Inc., in Bowie, for an initiative to increase the number of residents in their dinner and health program.

"Our Community Health Impact grants allow us to partner with other local organizations to increase access to health care and encourage prevention in our communities," said Marilyn J. Kawamura, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States. "For the past five years, Kaiser Permanente has been fortunate enough to respond to the healthcare needs and concerns of our most vulnerable populations through our grant program."