What is Building for Impact?
Building for Impact is Kaiser Permanente’s place-based facilities strategy designed to create lasting economic, social, and environmental value in the communities we serve.
Building for Impact brings together Community Health, Delivery System Strategy, Human Resources, Impact Spending, Local Medical Center Operations, and National Facilities Design and Construction to advance Kaiser Permanente’s mission, one community at a time.
How Building for Impact Supports Community Health
Health care access
Strategic facility placement and meaningful community engagement expand access to care and address the social determinants of health. We partner with local organizations working on food access, housing stability, and other essential services.
Community vitality
Our facilities prioritize local hiring and local purchasing, strengthening regional economies by creating quality jobs and supporting business growth close to home.
Environmental stability
We design and operate facilities as long-term community assets. Safe materials, sustainable building practices, and thoughtfully integrated green spaces promote environmental health and long-term community wellbeing.
Economic opportunity
From responsible material choices to intentional engagement with local and small businesses, BFI advances economic opportunity while reinforcing our broader environmental commitments.
Featured Projects
Watts Medical Offices and Watts Counseling and Learning Center
Opened in February 2024, the Watts Medical Offices and Counseling and Learning Center expand access to care in a community shaped by decades of disinvestment. The 61,800 square foot facility adds 24 provider offices and eight behavioral health rooms, helping address long-standing gaps in access and health outcomes for Kaiser Permanente members in Watts.
Our Impact
- Property revitalization: Revitalized a block of historic properties through adaptive reuse and infrastructure improvements, including restoration of the Watts Firehouse and upgrades to nearby community facilities.
- Community engagement: Maintained ongoing partnerships with local organizations and hosted workforce outreach and community events for nearby residents.
- Economic impact: Prioritized spending with small and local businesses, supported local business capacity, and created jobs through on-site roles and targeted impact hiring.
- Community enhancements: Delivered shared community assets, including green space and public meeting areas to support gathering and connection.
Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Medical Offices
In 2017, Kaiser Permanente identified a critical need where strong member and workforce presence met decades of underinvestment in health supporting infrastructure. Kaiser Permanente responded by advancing community health, supporting neighborhood revitalization, and creating long-term opportunity in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw community of South Los Angeles.
Our Impact
- Early commitment: Acquired 8.7 acres in Marlton Square, an area prioritized for revitalization by the City of Los Angeles.
- Community-centered design: Created 2.5 acres of public green space and a 2-mile Thrive walking path open to the community.
- Local hiring: 48% percent of new construction hires lived within 5 miles of the site.
- Second chance employment: Partnered with a nonprofit to hire formerly incarcerated individuals, representing more than 200 years of prison time served.
- Sustainability: Achieved LEED Gold certification and restored the site through full environmental remediation.
- Cultural and community connection: Featured 120 works by local artists and partnered with mission-aligned organizations to extend impact beyond the campus.
Community Engagement Tour
The Building for Impact Community Engagement Tour is an enterprise-wide, in-person series of events connecting Kaiser Permanente with local Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms, industry leaders, and community partners.
Through full-day events in key markets, participants gain insight into the current industry landscape and upcoming market opportunities, learn about Kaiser Permanente’s Building for Impact approach, understand how to engage and do business with Kaiser Permanente, and connect with NFDC leaders, decision makers, and industry partners.
The tour supports inclusive growth by expanding access, increasing transparency, and strengthening collaboration in the communities where we operate.