ADL to Honor Health Net’s Service to Area

Health Net and its president will receive the Anti-Defamation League’s San Fernando Valley Distinguished Community Service Award tonight for its commitment to the community’s health.

The ADL will present the award to Arthur M. Southam, the health maintenance organization’s president, during a dinner at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel tonight.

Health Net was chosen for the honor because of its active support of community service events and programs, including the March of Dimes, the American Heart Assn. Heart Run/Walk, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Adopt-a-School program, ADL officials said Tuesday.

The award was created in 1992 to recognize the efforts of businesses and professionals to foster a sense of well-being in the Valley.

“ADL’s goals are to promote harmony and tolerance for the community and to combat racism and intolerance,” said Aaron Levinson, an ADL spokesman. “And so, we choose those who are willing to work with us on those goals.”

Southam said Health Net remains involved with community events and local charities to ensure a healthy society.

“This is where we live and where our children live,” Southam said. “The safety of our lives and the lives of our children depends on the world in which we live. A big part of that is the way we treat people who are different [from] us.”

The 1994 award recipient, Jeffrey S. Klein, senior vice president of consumer marketing for the Los Angeles Times and past president of The Times’ Valley and Ventura County editions, will present the keynote speech.

The ceremony also will feature a tribute to Health Net by a children’s chorus from its adopted school, Justice Street Elementary in Woodland Hills.