Community Involvement

Group Health's long tradition of community involvement — in conjunction with the Group Health Foundation — includes outreach programs, partnerships, and community sponsorships.

Guiding principles include improving the health and well-being of our members and communities, assisting persons in need, partnering with other organizations to meet the quality health care needs of people of the Northwest, and recognizing and supporting our staff members who volunteer their time and expertise in their communities.

Sponsorships

Soccer

We've teamed up with the Seattle Sounders FC as a co-presenting sponsor of the Sounders' summer youth camps, promoting soccer and healthy, active lifestyles to kids all over Washington. We offered camp scholarships to kids in financial need, nutrition tips and education, and player appearances at some of our medical centers.

Seattle Sounders Summer Youth Soccers Camps

Diabetes

In its continuing commitment to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, we are silver-level sponsors of the 2010 Nordstrom "Beat the Bridge" Run and Walk to Beat Diabetes on May 16 in Seattle.

2010 "Beat the Bridge" Run and Walk

Cycling

Group Health promotes cycling as a healthy, year-round activity for the entire family. Our bicycling campaign includes sponsorship of the Commute Challenge in May, the Team Group Health women's racing team, and cycling events all over Washington. We're the title sponsor of the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic in July, now in its 31st year.

U.S. Figure Skating Championships

In January 2010, Group Health served for the second time as the Official Medical Sponsor of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane. (We also were medical sponsor in 2007.) A team of more than 40 doctors, nurses, and physical therapists cared for more than 1,500 world-class athletes, coaches, and officials as they vied to represent the United States in the 2010 Olympics. Also this winter, we sponsored the Bellevue Ice Arena and Riverfront Park Ice Palace in Spokane.

2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Social Mission Principles and Priorities

A broad set of priorities have been identified to enact Group Health's social mission principles:

Children's health — preventing tobacco use, promoting nutrition and fitness, ensuring safe environments, and providing expanded access to information to improve health behaviors.
Supporting innovations in prevention and treatment — minimizing long-term health risks that increase incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and asthma.
Improving access to health information and care — targeting underserved populations at highest risk, the uninsured, and people in time of need.
Supporting cultural diversity in health care — focusing on health career development and increasing cultural competence in care delivery.

Community Contribution Program

Group Health's Community Contribution Program provides financial and in-kind support for charitable, nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations requesting sponsorship must provide services in one or more of the areas listed above. Individuals, partisan political organizations, and religious or church-affiliated programs are not eligible. Applications must include:

A letter (3-page maximum) containing the following information: organization's name, address, contact name, phone, and mission; event or project title; event or project description; dollar amount requested and total budget; client group to be served; geographic area; project timeline and event dates; and other sources of financial or in-kind support.
Proof of current nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Code.
A list of the board of directors and their affiliations.

Send application to:

Group Health Cooperative
Community Relations Director
320 Westlake Ave. N., Suite 100
Seattle, WA 98109-5233

For additional information, contact our Communications and Community Relations Department at 206-448-6135.