A message from Permanente leadership on uniting against AAPI violence

OAKLAND, Calif. – Our commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion for the people and communities we serve have deep and enduring roots in our philosophy of care and the practice of Permanente Medicine.

As Permanente physician leaders who are responsible for improving the health and wellness of more than 12.4 million Kaiser Permanente members and patients, we are deeply troubled by the growing number of acts of violence and racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in our areas of service and throughout the country. These horrific acts are unacceptable and have no place in our society.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, AAPI communities have suffered from dangerous xenophobic rhetoric and discrimination based on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These aggressions cause physical and emotional harm, stress, and trauma to individuals, as well as their families and communities.

Together, we stand with our AAPI community and commit to work toward dismantling anti-Asian racism to create safer, more equitable communities for all.

Here are some ways you can support our AAPI communities:

• Take care of yourself during these difficult times through your medical group’s employee assistance program.
• Check in with your AAPI family and friends.
• Report acts of xenophobia, bias, or discrimination to your local law enforcement and at Stop AAPI Hate, where people can report in their native languages.
• Take a bystander intervention harassment training in partnership with Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

The following first-person testimony of Northwest Permanente President and CEO Imelda Dacones, MD, reminds us of how important this work, and allyship, is to us all:

“As an immigrant, as a Filipina-American in this country for more than 4 decades of my life, I know we can do better. And we must. Like Amanda Gorman, I believe, ‘If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.’

“I could not be more grateful to have allies in my fellow leaders of Permanente Medical Groups across the country who are equally committed to addressing these unconscionable acts.”

Thank you for your support.

Imelda Dacones, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwest Permanente

Ramin Davidoff, MD
Executive Medical Director and Chairman of the Board, Southern California Permanente Medical Group; Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, The Southeast Permanente Medical Group; Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaii Permanente Medical Group

Margaret Ferguson, MD, MBA
President and Executive Medical Director, Colorado Permanente Medical Group

Richard S. Isaacs, MD, FACS
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, The Permanente Medical Group; President and Chief Executive Officer, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group

Paul Minardi, MD
President and Executive Medical Director, Washington Permanente Medical Group

Mary Wilson, MD, MPH
President and Executive Medical Director, The Southeast Permanente Medical Group

About the Permanente Medical Groups

The Permanente Medical Groups are self-governed, physician-led, prepaid, multispecialty medical groups composed of more than 23,000 physicians. We are dedicated to the mission of improving the health of our patients and communities. Together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, we are Kaiser Permanente – an award-winning health care system that delivers Permanente Medicine to more than 12.4 million Kaiser Permanente members. We work collaboratively, enabled by state-of-the-art technology, to provide preventive and world-class complex care in eight states – from Hawaii to Maryland – and the District of Columbia.

About The Permanente Federation

The Permanente Federation LLC (the Federation) is the national leadership and consulting organization for the eight Permanente Medical Groups (PMGs), which, together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente. The Federation works on behalf of the PMGs to optimize care delivery and spread Permanente Medicine – medicine that is patient centered, evidence based, technology enabled, culturally responsive, team delivered, and physician led. The Federation, based in Oakland, California, fosters an open learning environment and accelerates research, innovation, and performance improvements across the PMGs to expand the reach of Kaiser Permanente’s integrated care delivery model and to lead the nation in transforming care delivery.