KaPeRs Quarterly Meeting Presentation

Thursday, October 5, 2017 at noon

KPNW Regional Update

In the past few years we have seen many exciting new developments within the Kaiser Program and KPNW. Recently Group Health Cooperative became Kaiser’s eighth and newest region; we expanded our services to Eugene; our first (but not last) convenient care clinic opened in the Pearl, as well as a neighborhood dental/medical office in Beaverton; and Southern California’s plan to open the Program’s first medical school in 2019 will impact our Region in a positive way.

 With the retirement of KPNW Regional President Andy McCulloch this July, the search for his successor is underway. Janet O’Hollaren, the Region’s Chief Operating Officer, is Acting Interim President and will join us on October 5 to share the latest happenings in our Region and the Program, and will provide insights into the challenges the Program faces in the rapidly changing health care environment.   (We hope to be able to introduce you to the new Regional President by this time)

Please join us for this timely and informative presentation —seats are limited so sign up soon!

President's Corner

Sue Hennessy

The summer seems to go by so fast every year.  I hope that all of you are enjoying the Northwest’s boundless things to do during this wonderful time of year.

     As we look toward fall, we hope that you will join us for the General Membership Meeting on October 5 at Town Hall.  Janet O’Hollaren, Interim Regional President, will be our speaker and will provide an update on the Region’s performance, information on the search for a new Regional President (Andy McCulloch retired in July after serving the Region successfully for 10 years.), news from Kaiser Permanente’snew Region in Seattle/Washington State, and other accomplishments of the Region and the Program.

    This is also the time of year when we look toward Community Giving and we encourage you to join the Board members in donating to one or both of the designated charities chosen for KaPeRs sponsorship.  We will be honoring the same organizations as last year, SHARE/Vancouver and Store to Door in Portland.  Additional information on these organizations and donation forms were mailed in late July.  Your generosity in supporting our neighbors served by these organizations will be appreciated very much.

     We are making progress in updating our website with the goal of making it easier to sign up for volunteer opportunities, register and pay for programs and events, and simplify our newsletter mailings.  Stay tuned for these improvements.
Please note that our Holiday General Meeting will be on December 14 and will be held at the Monarch Hotel across the freeway from Sunnyside.

    We have moved this event to assure that we have adequate space for all who wish to attend.  Additionally, they have adequate parking and nice menu offerings.  Do put this event on your calendar now!  Our program will include music, good food, and wonderful company to carry on our tradition. 

     And finally, if you are interested in serving on the Board of KaPeRs, please contact Patti Lawler at pdxpatti3031@gmail.com. Several of our long-term Board members are concluding their service and we welcome new faces and ideas.  It is my pleasure to serve as your President this year. 

Sincerely,
Sue Hennessy, Board Chair

Kaiser Permanente clinicians will provide a full range of primary care and dental services at the Kaiser Permanente 3 to PhD® Wellness Center, a 2,500 square-foot wing inside the new Faubion School and Concordia University facility opening this fall 2017.
     Kaiser Permanente joins Concordia University, Portland Public Schools’ Faubion School, and Trillium Family Services in the trailblazing model to creating safer, healthier and more educated communities. Trillium Family Services will continue to provide mental and behavioral health services.
     The services including dental, physical exams, screenings, immunizations, onsite lab services, and referrals will initially be available to students of Faubion and Concordia and will be open standard weekday hours.
     “Prevention and early intervention are critical in achieving total health – mind, body and spirit,” said Imelda Dacones, MD, CEO and president of Northwest Permanente. “3 to PhD takes prevention to an unprecedented level by wrapping services – medical, dental, social, and behavioral – around children and their families to address more holistically the factors that influence their health and well-being.”
     “We joined 3 to PhD because we have a shared vision to develop a safer, healthier, better educated community,” said Andrew McCulloch, president, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan of the Northwest. “Kaiser Permanente’s goal is to make the communities we serve among the healthiest in the nation.”
     The collaboration also benefits Concordia University students by providing experiential learning opportunities for the University’s College of Health and Human Services and its many bachelor’s and master’s level degree programs, including nursing, health care administration, psychology, social work, and exercise and sports science. Meanwhile, Concordia students include and engage Faubion students through health care curriculum, career exploration, programming and prevention.
     “Health and wellness are foundational to ensure children come to school ready to learn, and Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to 3 to PhD is groundbreaking in the way it’s fully integrated within a public school,” said Gary Withers, JD, Concordia University Foundation president and the university’s chief strategic relations officer.

Volunteers Caring and Sharing

Store to Door

This is one of the organizations we are donating to this year for our community giving project.
Jan Loewen works with Store to Door and said, “I've been volunteering for Store to Door for about a year, doing grocery shopping once a week. Great people - lots of fun.  I enjoy chatting with the ordering clients when I have questions or can't find an item they have requested. Sometimes finding an item is like going on a scavenger hunt - who knew organic dandelion greens could be found in the Fred Meyer produce section? Or that HamBeans is a dried bean soup mix? Or that you can request bags of frozen colossal size shrimp from the seafood man? Always something new to learn.

Volunteer with KaPeRs

We always need people to help with mailing out newsletters.  If interested in helping, contact Jane Walker, lois246@aol.com for mailing schedule. 
     Join the Board of Directors at a Board meeting.  Contact any Board member if interested.

For Volunteer Opportunities

TAKE ACTION NOW

     To learn more about how to best match your interests, time, and geography with one of our other projects, please contact Ron Shoals at Ron.R.Shoals@kp.org or 503-813-4234.
     The KP Community Giving Campaign was hugely successful last year.... over 18% of employees participated (highest ever) and they raised over $2M (highest ever)

mORE volunteers oPPORTUNITIES

Kaiser has just created a new volunteer management position for our ambulatory care facilities, so our clinics will be able to accommodate those folks who don’t want to travel to Hillsboro or Sunnyside if they don’t live close to either of those facilities.

Contacts for each of our programs

• Carolyn Ortman – KWMC   971-310-4563
• John Tisserat – KWMC  471-400-7197
• Annette Shaff-Palmer – Hospice – 503-499-4644
• Randi Orth – KPB - 503-813-2050
• Bonnie Morgan – KSMC – 503-571-4155
• Jani Hazen – KSMC Teen Volunteer Coordinator – 503-571-7201

Volunteer Opportunities with Villages NW

There are already six grassroots Villages up and running in the Portland metro area (with other Villages in Ashland, Bend, and Seattle), each tailored to the specific needs of their communities.  Want to learn more about YOUR Village? Visit their website, find the date and place of the next Village 101 info- sharing gathering - and GO! You’ll meet Program and local Village leaders - and people like you who are “neighbors helping neighbors stay neighbors….”

• Eastside Village PDX - Portland - eastsidevillage.clubexpress.com
• Northeast Village PDX - Portland - nevillagepdx.org
• Village Without Walls - Hillsboro/Aloha/Forest Grove/Cornelius - villagewithoutwalls.org
• Viva Village - Beaverton - vivavillage.clubexpress.com
• River West Village (open 10/17) - SW Portland (Willamette River west to Beaverton/north of Lake Oswego) - riverwestvillage.org
• North Star Village (open 10/17) – N Portland, Sauvie Island & bordering NW & inner NE Neighborhoods - email NorthStarVillage@comcast.net
• Village Clark County (in development) - Clark County - email helenelder1@gmail.com
• Villages for Milwaukie - if you are a Milwaukie resident interested in helping to create a Village contact info@VillagesNW.org

KaPeRs Making Changes

Over the years the cost of producing and mailing the quarterly newsletters has steadily risen and your Board of Directors has been brainstorming ways to more efficiently get the newsletters out to our 3700+ members. Our current process is labor intensive and costly. While we appreciate the financial support we have received for many years from KPNW and KaiPerm Credit Union, their budgets are impacted by rising costs as well. Their financial support could be put to use keeping the cost of luncheons down as well as providing high-quality programming and events of interest to members, rather than postage, paper and printing costs. Therefore, your Board of Directors has decided that, beginning no later than July, 2018, the newsletter will be available primarily by email and on our website. We realize that not everyone has a computer, and visiting our website is not an option. So, for $10 per year, those members can continue to receive a paper copy. Rob Perry and Nick Socotch have been diligently upgrading our kpnwretirees.org website to improve the process of registering for quarterly luncheon meetings and special events, as well as other features. More information will be coming in the November newsletter. You will be asked to notify the Board of your intentions as to how you wish to receive the newsletter. If you wish to discontinue receiving it, that option will also be available. The newsletter is KaPeRs’ primary means of communicating with our members and we are mindful of the importance of continuing its publication.

KP Human Resources Business

Human resources business is conducted through the Human Resources Service Center (HRSC) in Northern California. The Retiree and Benefits Team can be reached at 1-877-457-4772. Press Option 1 for Northwest Region and Option 2 for Benefits and Retirement. For pension-related inquiries call toll free 1-866-627-2826. When prompted for pass code, please enter pass code. If you do not have a pass code or you have forgotten it, select the * (star) button, then press 0 to speak with a representative.

Board of Directors Actions

August board meeting

• Several Board members are reaching the end of their terms this year. The Board approved a slate of replacements to be presented at the Oct. 5th general meeting.
• Rob Perry, our webmaster, presented design changes to our website and will be working with Board members to learn how to access and edit their specific areas. (e.g., special events, volunteer opportunities)
• KaPeRs will request the same budget as last year from the Region.
• The Board approved charging a $10/year fee for continued paper mailing of the newsletter, beginning no later than July next year. The goal is to primarily send the newsletter by email. Members will also be able to opt out of receiving the newsletter if they choose. It will continue to be available on our website. Communication will go out to members by mid-November.

Have You Moved Recently?

If you have chosen to receive a paper copy of KaPeRs Newsletter, be sure to let us know your new address and phone number. You may use the luncheon reservation form and send it to Anke Kuindersma at the address listed, or e-mail gvpats@aol.com, subject line: KaPeRs Online Newsletter Sign up to receive KaPeRs Newsletter online. Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to read it and can be downloaded for free from the Internet. Send a message including your name and e-mail address to Patsy VandeVenter at gvpats@aol.com, subject line: KaPeRs. Be sure to send e-mail address change to gvpats@aol.com.

You may download the August 2017 KaPeRs Newsletter by clicking the button below.

Online Newsletter

Sign up to receive KaPeRs Newsletter online. Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to read it and can be downloaded for free from the Internet. You may request email delivery of a PDF file to your email address. Click the button below to enter your information.

More options for dental care Good news!

On August 8, Kaiser Permanente Dental at Johnson Creek opened with a community open house. Kaiser Permanente Dental at Johnson Creek is designed for the future with advanced imaging equipment, a state-of-the-art oral surgery suite, and a modern lobby with personal electronic device charging stations built into the furniture. It is easily accessible by I-205 and 82nd Avenue, and is just a 5-minute drive from Clackamas Town Center. The office employs 32 staff members, including 4 general dentists, 3 oral surgeons, 5 hygienists, 8 dental assistants, and more. Members can transfer their dental care by by calling the Appointment Center at 1-800-813-2000.

May Luncheon Highlights

• Several members displayed artwork collected during their travels. Many countries and cultures were represented.
• Gift cards for two each were donated by the KaiPerm Credit Union.
• The guest speaker was Peggy McClure.

Want to Reach Out and Find Someone?

Lost contact with an old friend from your working days? Perhaps KaPeRs can help you get in touch. Send your contact information in an e-mail to gvpats@ aol.com along with the name of the person you would like to locate. If we have details on that person we will contact them, tell them about your interest and aand ask if it is O.K. for us to send their information to you.