Kaiser Permanente grants $25 million to expand MLK Hospital emergency department

Kaiser Permanente disclosed a $25 million grant to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital to fund the expansion of its emergency department, which currently operates with patients in temporary tents. In addition to the cash grant, Kaiser will supply a modular building to maintain continuous emergency services while the expansion proceeds. The South Los Angeles facility, which cares for hundreds of low-income patients daily, has been operating at a loss and obtained $68 million in bailouts from state and Los Angeles County between 2023 and 2025.

Hospital CEO Elaine Batchlor praised the donation as essential for providing adequate space to the community. Kaiser’s vice president for community health, John Yamamoto, described the project as ready to begin and vital for improving access to care.