tyson. bernard and i started kaiser permanente in san francisco in the late 80s. and watching the trajectory of his career, i watched and admired him, just watched in awe. he embodied the missions of kaiser permanente, bringing our mission statement to life. it was his contribution to communities in local, regional, as well as national arenas. most of all, i was really so impressed and in awe that he was not afraid to use his platform to address difficult issues that a health care organization would not address, such as homelessness, health disparities, and socially taboo topics just as racial profiling. i had such respect for his remarkable candor. kaiser permanente has a strong history of bringing people of diverse backgrounds together. we honor black history month by recognizing african americans and their contributions to our medical center, the history of our organization, and certainly to our country. kaiser honors the strength of our struggles for equality in this country to date. kaiser permanente is unique in that we are an integrated health care system.
