Bernard J. Tyson: A Vow to Carry On His Legacy

Earlier this week, we lost a visionary leader, a beautiful soul, a loving family man, and a passionate advocate for advancing the future of health care in our nation.

As someone who deeply admired Bernard both personally and professionally, I am still processing the difficult news. It’s heartbreaking to lose someone unexpectedly. My prayers are with Bernard’s wife, sons, and extended family as they grieve.

Many of us have never known Kaiser Permanente without Bernard. He often said he “grew up in Kaiser Permanente,” and during his more than 30 years here, he successfully managed nearly every major part of our health plan and hospital organizations, serving in roles from hospital administrator and division president to chief operating officer and, ultimately, Chairman and CEO.

Bernard passionately believed that access to health care is an essential part of the American dream. He challenged the traditional view that health care providers only deliver care in hospitals and clinics by insisting that our reach extend into communities where we live, work, play, and love.

Not only did he give voice to this vision, he put the full weight of Kaiser Permanente behind it, knowing that we are uniquely positioned to create change at a large scale. In the past few years, under his leadership, we have made significant investments to address social health issues like housing, food insecurity, and childhood trauma. Thrive Local, the social health network we launched this year, is the type of big, bold idea Bernard believed was so critical in making the shift from health care to holistic health.

Next year Kaiser Permanente will celebrate its 75th anniversary, and I’m struck by how much Bernard’s ideals mirrored those of our founders, Henry J. Kaiser and Sidney Garfield. They created Kaiser Permanente because they too believed that being healthy is a right for all of us — regardless of where we live or how much we earn.

Earlier this week, I reaffirmed my vow to honor and build upon Bernard’s legacy with the support of my Kaiser Permanente colleagues.

We may not do it exactly as he would have done it. There are few people with the national and international stature of Bernard Tyson. And few people had his big personality, while at the same time keeping things real and being humble.

Thank you, Bernard.

We will miss you … and together, we will do our very best to honor and continue building upon your legacy.