Kaiser Permanente Names Aphriekah DuHaney-West Chief Operating Officer For Northwest Region (Photo) - 09/16/25
Kaiser Permanente names Aphriekah DuHaney-West chief operating officer for Northwest Region
Kaiser Permanente has announced that Aphriekah DuHaney-West has been named chief operating officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest (KFHPH), effective September 15th. The organization’s previous COO, Wendy Watson, was named the region’s president this February.
DuHaney-West brings exceptional experience in integrated care delivery, operational excellence, and transformational leadership. Since April 2022, she has served as Kaiser Permanente’s Senior Vice President and Area Manager for Northern California’s Central Valley Service Area, which includes nearly 500,000 members, two medical centers, a joint-venture hospital, and multiple other care settings.
As COO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest, she will lead all clinical operations, which encompasses 31 medical offices, 21 dental offices and 2 hospitals. She will also have oversight of care for Kaiser Permanente members at 5 affiliated hospitals. Kaiser Permanente in the Northwest has more than 610,000 medical members, 285,000 dental members, and more than 11,900 employees.
“Aphriekah’s strategic mindset, people-first leadership, and operational discipline will be invaluable as we continue to advance our mission of improving the health of our Northwest communities,” said Wendy Watson, president, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest. “Her previous accomplishments align perfectly with our top priorities: maintaining the highest levels of quality and service; member and patient satisfaction; and driving operational excellence while increasing affordability for our members.”
Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, DuHaney-West held senior leadership roles at Ochsner Health and LifePoint Health, serving as CEO, COO, and CNO across hospitals and medical centers in Louisiana and Arizona. She is a Baldrige Executive Fellow and has consistently been recognized for driving cultural transformation, improving employee satisfaction and retention, and delivering sustained performance improvements in complex health systems.
“I’m honored to join Kaiser Permanente Northwest at such a pivotal time in health care,” said DuHaney-West. “Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to innovation, patient-centered care, and community impact deeply resonates with my values. I look forward to working alongside this talented team to deliver exceptional care to the people we serve.”
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve nearly 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.
