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A message from Benjamin K. Chu, MD, MPH,
president, Kaiser Permanente Southern
California Region, on the impact of the
Southern California wildfires and their
impact on care delivery throughout the
region.
A small army of 5,700 firefighters is
valiantly battling 13 wind-fueled wildfires
that have scorched more than 356,000 acres
of land, and destroyed more than 1,300
homes, 100 businesses, and 80 other
buildings in seven Southern California
counties. News reports state that the fires
have killed two people, and injured 38,
including 12 firefighters. More than 500,000
people have been evacuated from their homes
as a result of these wildfires.
The people of Kaiser Permanente Southern
California are among those who have been
affected by these fires. Some have lost
homes; others have been evacuated and have
no idea what has happened to their homes and
belongings.
Despite the upset and inconvenience to
personal lives and families, our hospital
operations throughout the region continue to
meet the needs of our patients and health
plan members, including our San Diego
Medical Center, which like the area where it
is located, has been the most heavily
impacted by this catastrophe. The hard
efforts and results that I hear about in the
daily updates I receive make me realize how
privileged I am to work with such committed
and dedicated people. I extend my deep
appreciation to the physicians and staff who
sacrificed their personal needs and wants to
meet the health care needs of our
communities at this time.
As we work through this situation, I ask
that all of us stay strong, focused, and
flexible as we continue to respond to
weather, wind, and fires. It may be
necessary to ask people to move temporarily
to other work locations where they are most
needed if we are to continue to meet the
health needs of those we serve.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region
will donate $250,000 for immediate and
long-term needs associated with the Southern
California wildfires. The American Red Cross
Disaster Relief Fund will receive $100,000
to provide shelter, food, counseling, and
other assistance to victims of the fires.
Our commitment of the additional $150,000 is
earmarked for long-term fire recovery relief
as needs emerge.
As I mentioned previously, many of our
people have been displaced, and may have
lost or had their homes and belongings
damaged by the fires. To help those who may
face these circumstances, we are
reinstituting an employee assistance program
that we introduced to aid victims of the San
Diego-area wildfires in 2003. The key
features of this assistance include:
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Short Term Emergency Support
provides small monetary grants (up to $500)
for urgent and immediate needs such as food,
clothing, or temporary shelter. This
monetary grant is available to any employee
who was displaced from his/her
primary residence for a
minimum of 48 hours under a mandatory fire
evacuation as a result of the severe fires.
-
Emergency Assistance Loans
are available for employees and physicians
who are awaiting other forms of emergency
financial aid, such as federal programs and
insurance claims, as a result of full or
significant loss of their primary residence.
Employees and physicians may apply for an
interest-free loan of up to a maximum of
$10,000 (the IRS permissible amount).
-
Financial Hardship Cash-Outs of Vacation,
Life Balance Days and/or Earned Time Off
Account Hours
may be available for those who suffer sudden
and unexpected loss of property due to these
extraordinary and unforeseeable
circumstances.
-
Retirement Plan Withdrawals
for employees who meet eligibility
requirements allowing them to withdraw a
portion of their Kaiser Permanente 401k
Plan, Tax Savings Retirement, or
Supplemental Retirement Plan - Plan B.
Employees should contact Vanguard at
1-800-523-1188 (toll-free) to obtain
withdrawal and/or loan information. Hardship
withdrawals require documentation.
Withdrawals may be subject to taxes and
penalties.
Additional
information and necessary forms
for this assistance are available online. If you
have questions about this program, please
contact your local facility’s
Human Resources lead.
Many of our members, who have been affected by
the fire and who are unable to access their
regular KP pharmacy, will need to have their
prescriptions refilled. Please remind them that
Kaiser Permanente members can refill their
prescriptions at any pharmacy (including
non-Kaiser Permanente pharmacies) by presenting
their ID and member record number. Some
non-Kaiser Permanente pharmacies may require
payment. Members will be reimbursed for the cost
of the prescriptions not normally covered by
their copay.
We should expect to see an increase in the
number of people who will need help, but may not
have appropriate proof of insurance coverage or
no coverage. We need to be able to meet their
needs in the most positive way possible. In
2006, we opened our doors to meet the medical
needs of those who relocated to California to be
with relatives because of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita. We met their needs through our Medical
Financial Aid Program, and we can do no less for
those who live in California and have been
victimized by these fires. We will provide care
to anyone seeking medical services and will
implement a system of ‘presumptive eligibility’
for our Medical Financial Assistance Program in
the areas affected by the fires.
We are nowhere near the end of this challenge of
nature. However, based on the initial response
by our frontline people, I know we have the
ability and fortitude to meet this challenge and
meet the health care needs of our residents.
Thank you again for what all of you have done.
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