Celebrating 80: Cathy Hays shares why she’s a member
As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, one member describes the high-quality care, connection, and convenience she has experienced.
Cathy Hays has been a Kaiser Permanente member since 1984. She enjoys raising her champion Samoyed dogs.
On July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente opened to the public, starting a legacy of care that supports the health and well-being of families in all the communities we serve.
For 80 years, we’ve remained true to our mission: to provide high-quality, affordable health care and improve the health of our members and communities.
It’s a shared journey — across decades, across communities, and across lives.
Cathy Hays has been part of that journey since 1984. She’s a human resources professional who lives in Santee, California. She also breeds champion Samoyeds — fluffy white dogs known for their friendly nature.
What’s kept Hays a Kaiser Permanente member for so long? She explains in her own words.
Health care that works
What I love most about Kaiser Permanente is that everything is under one roof. It’s phenomenal.
You don’t have to go to a separate lab for blood work or X-rays. You don’t get all of these bills from different providers.
Coordinated, collaborative care
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2017. A few months later, I got really sick and ended up becoming septic. I had to go into intensive care.
The surgeon came in to talk to me. He said there was a huge team of specialists discussing my case. They had daily meetings about me. And he said, “We decided we need to get you into surgery or you’re not going to have a good outcome.”
I had emergency surgery.
They took such great care of me. I felt like if I didn’t have great doctors, specialists, and nurses I would have died.
I can’t say enough about what they did for me. I’m so thankful Kaiser Permanente saved my life.
Since Cathy Hays joined Kaiser Permanente in her 20s, she has encouraged many friends and colleagues to become members.
Care teams that go the extra mile
I joined Kaiser Permanente in my 20s. Both my parents were members as well.
In 2003, my father had a massive heart attack and was on life support. The specialist said my father wasn’t going to make it. My mother had dementia. So, I had to make the hard decision about his care.
I asked one of the nurses to reach out to my doctor, who was head of internal medicine. My doctor stopped what he was doing, came to the cardiac intensive care unit, and talked me through the process.
These are the types of experiences I’ve had with Kaiser Permanente. The doctors here are truly special.
Cutting-edge care solutions
When I started with Kaiser Permanente, everything was a printed hard copy.
I remember when they moved to electronic health records. I think Kaiser Permanente was the first to go digital with medical records in San Diego.
My personal doctor used to type at the computer as he talked to me in my appointments.
Recently, he asked if I was OK with him using a new software that listens to me and prepares notes on my visit. Now, I feel like I have my doctor’s complete attention. That’s huge!
That’s why I’m a member. I’ve only had great experiences with Kaiser Permanente.
For generations, Kaiser Permanente has led the way in delivering care that puts people first.
We’ve pioneered preventive care, closed health gaps, and embraced technology to improve care and outcomes.
That kind of innovative vision continues today and fuels our mission to bring health to many generations to come.