Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center (KP SRF) was a gold sponsor of the 37th Annual Marin Senior Fair. The Nurses Improving Care of Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) committee expressed interest in hosting a booth at the 2025 Marin Senior Fair in alignment with the nursing strategic plan and the organizational mission to provide quality, affordable healthcare services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. Twenty-eight nurses and interprofessional colleagues from the NICHE committee, Senior Surgical Care Program, and the Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention programs joined forces and volunteered to offer resources, screenings, and services to over 2,500 Marin County senior attendees on Sept. 17, 2025, at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall.
Together, the KP SRF team:
- Administered over 200 shots (Flu & Covid)
- Performed 45 blood pressure screenings
- Distributed over 150 Life Care Planning booklets
- Provided educational resources specific on heat stroke, stroke awareness, safety at home, falls prevention, nutrition, dysphagia, medication safety, senior surgical care, exercise and mobility.
- Scheduled 13 hearing screenings
- Distributed 15 Fecal Immunochemical Tests
- Signed up over 20 people for their free blood pressure machine through Medline and more….
The nursing and care teams at KP SRF understand the significant impact of engagement in community outreach through volunteerism and the benefits to the community such as expanding healthcare access in underserved groups.
Volunteering has been found to improve physical and mental health and life satisfaction for both volunteers and communities they serve. Volunteers are vital and create authentic and lasting connections that improve mental health, stress reduction, and promote belonging and community. In addition, benefits to the nurse include personal satisfaction, increased awareness of healthcare challenges and impact of culture on health disparities, increased competency, advocacy, career choice, and improved networking (Lashley, 2025).
Lashley, M. (2025). Unleashing the power to serve: engaging nurses in the community. Journal of Radiology Nursing, 44(1), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jradnu.2024.07.003