he Mountain Climber Award is given to a select group of organizations who’ve already received the foundation’s Trailblazer Award for exemplary adherence to the Bree Collaborative pillars of transformation: equity, data exchange and transparency, person-centered care, and accountable financing.
Kaiser Permanente Washington was one of 2 health care organizations in Washington state to receive the Mountain Climber honor. Winners were selected by a panel of volunteers from Washington health care organizations, who scored submissions on generalizability of their work, innovation, overcoming barriers, and the breadth of implementation work.
Kaiser Permanente was recognized for its work in primary care, including access to care and coordination of care — all from an equity perspective.
“We are thrilled to be a recipient of Bree Collaborative’s inaugural Mountain Climber Award,” said Kristin Conn, MD, senior medical director for equity, inclusion, and diversity. “This award is a testament to the dedication of our providers, staff, and teams across the entire organization. In many ways, this honor highlights Kaiser Permanente’s collaboration — in our care, in our coverage, and in our integrated model.”
“We are especially honored by Bree Collaborative’s intentional focus on equity, inclusion, and diversity,” said Linda Tolbert, MD, CEO and executive medical director of Washington Permanente Medical Group. “We believe that social needs should be part of all health conversations to truly help our patients achieve good health. Better access to care and improved health outcomes for all our members are important to the work we do at Kaiser Permanente Washington.”
Karie Nicholas, evaluations and measurement manager of the Foundation for Health Care Quality, added, “As part of our efforts to include equity as part of the value equation of health care, the Foundation for Health Care Quality has created this award to celebrate those organizations that are making strides in understanding and addressing health disparities at all points in the process of care, from access through outcomes. Kaiser [Permanente] has been a leader in transforming their processes to ensure quality care for all patients. Their leadership in equity stands as an exceptional example for all care organizations.”
All health systems that offer services to the Public Employees Benefits Board and the State Employee Benefits Board participate in the Bree Collaborative. The organization was established by the Washington State Legislature in 2011 to give public and private health care stakeholders the opportunity to identify specific ways to improve health care quality, outcomes, and affordability in Washington state.
Kaiser Permanente was recognized at the Bree Collaborative’s celebratory event on May 22, and will be presenting on their equity work at the 21st annual Northwest Patient Safety Conference this October.
