The Joint Commission and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente on March 4 unveiled an annual healthcare equity award in memory of Bernard J. Tyson, Kaiser's late chair and CEO.
The Bernard J. Tyson Award for Excellence in Pursuing Health Care Equity will recognize healthcare organization interventions that led to a measurable and sustained reduction in at least one healthcare disparity. This year's nomination period will run from May 17 to July 5.
"Bernard Tyson was a leader and advocate for healthcare equity and challenged other leaders to do the same. I am sure he is smiling his biggest smile at the thought of this award and how it will support health equity," Greg A. Adams, chairman and CEO of Kaiser, said in a March 4 news release.
Mr. Tyson spent 34 years at Kaiser, becoming its first Black CEO in 2013 and chair in 2014. He died in his sleep Nov. 10, 2019.