WHEREAS, Ruth Williams-Brinkley, a highly respected executive leader in the health care industry, will retire as the president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., having demonstrated years of achievement and excellence in patient care quality outcomes and health system operations; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Williams-Brinkley holds bachelor's and master's degrees from DePaul University in Illinois, as well as an honorary doctoral degree from Spaulding University in Kentucky; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Williams-Brinkley began her career in health care as a nurse at a large teaching hospital in Chicago, holding every position available to nurses, then transitioned to health care consulting, and ultimately served as an executive leader of multiple health care organizations, including CommonSpirit, Ascension, and UAB Health System; and

WHEREAS, in November 2017, Ruth Williams-Brinkley joined Kaiser Permanente as president of the Northwest region and assumed the role of president of the Mid-Atlantic States region in June 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic; her steady leadership and focus on people, particularly the committed care providers and staff at Kaiser Permanente, helped the region to continue delivering high-quality care and service during a period of global turbulence; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Williams-Brinkley has elevated Kaiser Permanente's brand presence in the Mid-Atlantic states, spearheaded the opening of six new medical facilities throughout the region so that more people can benefit from Kaiser Permanente's integrated care delivery and enhance their total health, and led Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., to become the only health plan in the nation to earn a five-star rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance for its Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial health plans in 2022; and

WHEREAS, over the course of Ruth Williams-Brinkley's remarkable and distinguished career, she has worked to improve access to quality care, especially for people in underserved communities; served as a passionate advocate for health equity and the elimination of health disparities related to racial, economic, and environmental inequities; and sought to shape a more diverse and inclusive workforce in every organization she has led; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Williams-Brinkley has cultivated partnerships within and across communities in the Mid-Atlantic region, from state governments and systems of higher education to the business community and local organizations, to strengthen those communities and enhance the social conditions that lead to good health; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Ruth Williams-Brinkley hereby be commended on the occasion of her retirement as president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Ruth Williams-Brinkley as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her highly effective, longtime advocacy for the total health of the Commonwealth's residents and the well-being of its communities.