The Golden State Warriors announced today that Kaiser Permanente will be the team’s presenting sponsor for the 2011-12 season, marking the team’s first Warriors Gold Alliance partner and its first-ever season-long presenting partnership. To help tip off the partnership this morning, Warriors’ Head Coach Mark Jackson and veteran forward Dorell Wright visited youth patients at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center.“We’re excited today to officially launch this partnership with Kaiser Permanente,” said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “Not only are we thrilled to have them as the franchise’s first presenting sponsor, we’re even more excited to have Kaiser Permanente as our initial Warriors Gold Alliance Partner. As Oakland’s single largest company, Kaiser Permanente is just the type of organization that we are looking to align ourselves with to help us usher in a new era of Warriors’ basketball. Through our combined efforts we will continue to use this platform to positively impact the Bay Area community.”Kaiser Permanente and the Warriors have partnered on a variety of community-focused initiatives over the past several years, including the Get Fit Timeout program in which Warriors players, coaches and personalities join Kaiser Permanente representatives to educate Bay Area youth on the importance of healthy eating and active living. This past summer, the Warriors, Kaiser Permanente and the Good Tidings Foundation refurbished basketball courts at Oakland’s Mosswood Park, which is located adjacent to the site on which Kaiser Permanente is building its new hospital, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014.“At Kaiser Permanente we strongly believe we have a responsibility to play a leading role in improving the health and well-being of our communities, and through our ongoing partnerships with organizations such as the Warriors, the Oakland Unified School District, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center, we are actively working to strengthen our communities and make them better places to live, work and play,” said Yvette Radford, Vice President of External and Community Affairs for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. The comprehensive partnership between the Warriors and Kaiser Permanente covers sales and marketing elements related to the 2011-12 season, including television, radio, print, outdoor, online, and in-arena messaging. Kaiser Permanente is tied into the “Big Things Are Coming” initiative that the Warriors and NBA rolled out last week and is the focus of the team’s current marketing efforts. Additionally, Kaiser Permanente will expand the healthy food options it created for concessions stands at Oracle Arena over the past five years. These healthier options will be available for purchase and will be offered at more concession stands this season.