Northern California Extraordinary Nurse Award
The Northern California Extraordinary Nurse Award Program recognizes and honors 34 individuals each year who exemplify professionalism, compassion, teamwork, excellence, integrity, and patient- and family-centric care in their practice.
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Nurse Leaders of the Year
Juanita Jularbal-Walton, DNP, MBA
Chief Nurse Executive
Appointment and Advice Call Center
Susie Belocora, BSN, RN
Staff Charge Nurse III, Appointment and Advice Care Center
Advanced Practice
Andrea Windom, MSN, PPCNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner III, Pediatrics
The DAISY Nurse Leader Award
The DAISY Nurse Leader Award shines a light on nurse leaders — directors, managers, assistant managers, and educators — who don’t generally have direct patient care as part of their work and create an environment where compassionate, skillful care thrives.
Michael Mills, RN
The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses
The DAISY Award® recognizes the compassion and care nurses provide to patients and families.
Eugene Butler, RN
Tamiko Ellis, RN
Luis Ikeo Ayala, RN
Vince Ma, RN
Hamza Malakzay, RN
Joyner Mata, RN
Michelle Pecson, RN
Alania Salazar, RN
Joy Sanaugustin, RN
Diana Sanchez-Perez, RN
Genevie Torres, RN
PETAL Award
The Performing Exceptional Tasks and Affirming Lives (PETAL) Award honors our partners in care. It recognizes the hard work of caregivers in non-nursing roles, from housekeeping and dietary services, who partner with nurses to deliver excellent, compassionate care for our members and the community.
Devonni Taylor, TPMG Admin
V is for Victory in Vallejo Medical Center
The inpatient ECX Committee maintains a monthly V Victory Award for excellent care experience, including a glass V trophy that moves from department to department.
4East, Medical-Surgical/Telemetry
Excellent Care Experience in August 2024 (awarded January 2025).
4West
90th percentile in RN Communication performance in the HCAHPS survey in March 2025 (Awarded August 2025). Learn more.
Family Birth Center
Providing Exceptional Care Experience for their 90th percentile performance in all domains of the HCAHPS survey and number one in the NCAL region for KP (awarded July 2025). Learn more.
Local Nurse Leadership Council Leadership Guidepost
Each month, the Local Nurse Leadership Council (LNLC) honors assistant nurse managers, managers, nurse professional development specialists, and respiratory therapy leaders who exemplify our core leadership guideposts. These individuals are recognized for demonstrating key behaviors such as leading with purpose, valuing every voice, empowering one another, championing ongoing learning, and driving with integrity.
Driving with Integrity
Jessica Costello, MSN, RN
Demonstrates commitment to doing what is right—even when it is not the easiest path—in the pursuit of excellence. Drives with integrity by responding swiftly to challenges and setbacks, overcoming obstacles, and taking decisive action to move forward.
Championing a Learning Environment
Ruben Lopez, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, SCRN
Ruben is known for his calm focus and steady presence; he brings a quiet authority that makes even the most technical topics approachable. Colleagues often say his teaching style more like discovery rather than instructional. A nationally certified NPD specialist and stroke-certified nurse, Ruben has become a driving force behind continuous improvement, teaching evidence-based practice, advanced equipment use, and code blue readiness. He reminds us that great leaders don’t just teach skills, they shape environments where curiosity thrives, learning becomes contagious, and excellence is the natural outcome.