Hospitals

Bernard Tyson’s greatest contribution in healthcare were in addressing diversity and social determinants

The president and CEO of Kaiser Permamente, known as a tireless advocate of healthcare equity died in his sleep at the age of 60.

Bernard J. Tyson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente, speaking at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas

Just two weeks ago, Bernard J. Tyson strode onto the mainstage at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas, one hand in pocket, laying out a vision for the dignity of life. Tyson, chairman, president and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, spoke forcefully about the moral obligation that leaders like him have to care for those in need as he announced that Kaiser is joining a nutrition assistance program offered by the state.

That vision which he articulated and launched will now have to be completed by someone else. In a stunning reminder of how fickle life is, death claimed Tyson in his sleep on Sunday. He was only 60.

“Bernard’s greatest contributions were in the areas of diversity and social determinants of health,” wrote Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group, in an email. “He served as a role model for African-American leaders both inside Kaiser Permanente and across other industries.”

Pearl, who has known Bernard since Pearl was selected as the CEO of Permanente Medical Group in 1998, said this focus on SDoH echoed what Kaiser’s founders had in mind.

“As the KP Thrive campaign has emphasized, health is multi-factorial and includes not just the medical care provided, but also nutrition, housing, jobs and transportation. Between the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals and The Permanente Medical Group, we were the largest employer in the city of Oakland. Addressing the needs of the community was part of our 70-year social mission dating back to Dr. Sidney Garfield and Mr. Henry Kaiser,” Pearl wrote.

Last year, Kaiser Permanente launched a housing program, pledging $200 million to tackle homelessness.

The current co-CEO of the Permanente Federation, the National Leadership and consulting organization for the eight Permanente Medical Groups (PMGs) which, with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente was even more effusive.

In an email forwarded by a spokeswoman, Dr. Richard Isaacs lauded Tyson for always “bring out the best in me” and for being a “champion” to make high-quality, affordable care available for everyone.

“He was a tireless advocate for population health and for the elimination of health disparities in our communities, and many innovations were pioneered under his leadership, including several initiatives to address homelessness and housing insecurity,” Dr. Isaacs wrote. “Bernard also worked closely with community leaders in an effort to create ‘an ecosystem’ of support that would ultimately help underserved communities receive the services they needed to achieve total health.

Equity was something that was always close to Tyson’s heart, something that he was discussing even on Saturday, a day before his untimely demise.

The post has been updated with comments from Dr. Richard Isaacs,co-CEO of the Permanente Federation, the National Leadership and consulting organization for the eight Permanente Medical Groups (PMGs) which, with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente.

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