Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente tapped Ruth Brinkley to serve as president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest, which includes Kaiser's Oregon market as well as markets in Vancouver, Wash., and Longview/Kelso, Wash.
Ms. Brinkley is the CEO of Louisville-based KentuckyOne Health, a role she has held since 2012, when KentuckyOne was formed by the merger of Jewish Hospital & Saints Mary and Elizabeth HealthCare, and Saint Joseph Health System. The University of Louisville Hospital and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center joined KentuckyOne in 2013, and Ms. Brinkley oversaw the successful post-merger integration. She will assume her new role with Kaiser Permanente in November.
Prior to joining KentuckyOne Health, Ms. Brinkley served as president and CEO of Carondelet Health Network in Tucson, Ariz., and as president and CEO of Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, Tenn.
"Ruth's deep experience in integrated and nonprofit health care systems makes her a great fit for this important leadership role," said Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson.