Awards

September 6, 2011

Marilyn Chow Receives California Nursing Excellence Award

Marilyn Chow, RN, DNSc, FAAN, vice president of National Patient Care Services for Kaiser Permanente, was named the winner of the Nurse.com Nursing Excellence Award 2011 for California, sponsored by The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. Chow, who won in the category of Advancing and Leading the Profession, now vies with eight other regional winners from across the country for the category’s national Nurse of the Year, which will be announced later this year.

“Marilyn has been a tireless advocate in the pursuit of excellence in health care — and for nursing in particular — at Kaiser Permanente and beyond,” said Bernard Tyson, president and chief operating officer, Kaiser Permanente. “Her vision and passion for providing the best care experience for patients and their families are evident in her work. She is an innovator and her work in the regulation of nursing practice and workforce policy is second to none. We couldn't be prouder that she is being rightfully recognized on the national stage.”

The award also recognized Chow for promoting the role of nurses in providing primary care, advanced practice, and hospital-based care and in shaping the future of health care. In addition, her work at Kaiser Permanente in integrating quality medical care with the latest and most useful technologies was cited. She has served on numerous national and local panels and boards, and co-authored an influential study on how nurses spend their time.

“I’m so proud of the nursing profession and its tremendous contribution to patient care,” said Chow. “I’m pleased to share this honor with all Kaiser Permanente nurses — their hard work and dedication raises the bar for patient and family-centered care everywhere.”

For more than a decade, the Nurse.com Nursing Excellence Award program has recognized the extraordinary contributions of nurses to their patients, each other, and the profession. Nominees for the six different categories included staff nurses, specialists, nurse practitioners, vice presidents, and nurse executives who work in settings as disparate as occupational health, education, intensive care, cardiology, medical/surgical, and pediatrics.