Assemblymember Levine Names North Bay Woman of the Year

News from the Office of Assemblymember Marc Levine:

MARIN COUNTY, CA - Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-Marin County) on Monday recognized Kathie Powell, CEO of the Petaluma Health Center, as the North Bay’s Woman of the Year.

The Petaluma Health Center is a national-recognized federally qualified health center providing 170,000 health care visits annually for more than 30,000 people.

“Kathie Powell is a trailblazing health care leader committed to innovative solutions, and dedicated to ensuring access to affordable, high quality health care services,” said Assemblymember Levine. “Ms. Powell has been instrumental in assuring the delivery of health care services to unserved and underserved communities in the North Bay. Kathie Powell is well-deserving of this recognition.”

“I am honored to have been chosen as Woman of the Year. It is wonderful that we take time to recognize the contributions that women make to our great state,” said Kathie Powell. “Women make up the vast majority of healthcare professionals, and compromise 92% of the workforce at the Petaluma Health Center. It is vital that we continue to work together to make sure that we are able to provide the highest quality of care.”

Kathie Powell was presented with the award Monday on the floor of the State Assembly along with other honorees from all over California as part of the Assembly’s annual Woman of the Year celebration.

Powell has 30 years of community health administrative experience. She received the 2015 Women in Business Award from the North Bay Business Journal. She is also a board member of the Redwood Community Health Coalition, Partnership Health Plan of California, and United Health Group’s Investment Advisory Committee. She previously served on the Petaluma Health Care District Board.

Under her leadership, the Petaluma Health Center was awarded a Level Three Patient Centers Medical Home Designation by the National Committee on Quality Assurance. This is the highest level recognition for a health center.

Powell has led the center through significant changes and made it a go-to model for one-stop affordable health care centers across the nation using federal grant money from the Affordable Care Act. Petaluma Health Center is a six-time winner in the North Bay Business Journal Best Places to Work from 2009, 2011- 2015.

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