Kaiser Permanente and the Cat in the Hat Want You to Imagine, "Oh, the Healthy Things You Can Do!"

PASADENA, Calif. --(Business Wire)--

This year's Kaiser Permanente Rose Parade® float wants to remind you that achieving total health means taking care of the mind, body and spirit. "Oh, the Healthy Things You Can Do" is about finding your own thing. Kaiser Permanente believes that there is no single prescription to staying healthy! Whether you run or walk, dance or bike, hula-hoop or jump rope, read or simply take a minute to take a deep breath, there are just so many things you can do to make your mind, body and spirit healthy.

Featuring the Cat in the Hat, Sally and Conrad, Thing One and Thing Two and Karlos K. Krinklebein the fish from the best-selling Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. books, movies, and educational programs, the goal of the float is get people energized, moving and ready to start the New Year thriving!

Riding on the float this year are eight individuals that have made being healthy their personal objective. For example, Marge Avants, 88 years old; Donna Evans, 80 years old; and Jackie Wells, 77 years old, are three members of the Silver Stars, a senior tap dancing crew that truly embodies healthy aging. There's also Darin Miller, a Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center Registered Nurse that went from huffing and puffing up a flight of stairs to participating in triathlons. And then there's Madison Friend, a 14-year-old La Mirada resident who has turned her Lymphoma diagnosis into the cause behind a foundation.

Also riding on the float are Tre Duplechan, a 16-year-old who has overcome illness after illness with the sole goal of getting back to sports; Janavien (Jana) Gago, a 13-year-old girl who has overcome severe aplastic anemia and has her mind set on becoming a pediatrician; and Jesse Campos, a 17-year-old teen who found empowerment in his weight-loss success.

Dancing along the float this year will be sixteen Kaiser Permanente physicians and staff members that truly believe in the health benefits of dance. The group will be led by Downey Dance Rx creator and ballroom dancer, Jason Cheng, DO, anesthesiologist at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center. Also leading the group are Linda Mirdamadi, MD, a former ballerina and now Chief Wellness Officer and Medical Director of Health Education and Weight Management Programs at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center; Sylvia Swilley, MD, an avid urban line dancer, pediatric cardiologist and Healthy Workforce Lead; and Kraig Golden, MD, family medicine specialist, Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center.

The 124th Rose Parade marks Kaiser Permanente's eighth appearance in this time-honored event. "Oh, the Healthy Things You Can Do!" was brought to life by builders Tim Estes and Jim Hynd of Fiesta Parade Floats, and float designer Raul R. Rodriguez. All past Kaiser Permanente float entries, produced by the same dynamic trio, have won awards including the Lathrop K. Leishman Trophy in 2012, the Director's Trophy in 2011, 2008, 2006, the Extraordinaire Trophy for the "most spectacular" float in 2010, the Tournament Special Trophy in 2009 and the President's Trophy in 2007.

Final touches on the float will be applied by volunteers from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, December 26, through Sunday, December 30, at Fiesta Parade Floats, located at 16016 Avenida Padilla, in Irwindale.

About Kaiser Permanente Southern California

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 3.5 million members in Southern California. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.