Shasta Addessi named new Kaiser Permanente San Mateo county leader

Shasta Addessi has been named the new Senior Vice President and Area Manager for the Kaiser Permanente San Mateo Service Area, leading the Redwood City and South San Francisco medical centers. Addessi will have oversight of and is responsible for hospital operations and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan for the area that serves more than 257,000 members.

Addessi has served as the interim senior vice president for the San Mateo service area since April following the retirement of Shelia Gilson.

“I grew up in San Mateo County and have been a long-time Kaiser Permanente member, so I take great pride in being a part of delivering high-quality, affordable health care to the communities we serve,” Addessi said. “It’s rewarding to be a part of an organization that has provided exceptional care to our members and patients in the San Mateo community for more than 70 years.”

In her role, Addessi will oversee 2,100 employees at both medical centers.

“Shasta’s commitment to improving the health our of communities makes her the right fit for this role as she continues to build upon the work already being done to provide exceptional care to our members and patients,” said Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, president of Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region. “She is a highly-engaged and skilled leader who will provide great support to our teams in the San Mateo area.”

Addessi said she will focus on increasing access to Kaiser Permanente’s high-quality care throughout San Mateo County. She is particularly proud of the specialized neurological care and treatment Kaiser Permanente Redwood City provides through its Advanced Neuroscience Center, which cares for patients throughout Northern California who have complex stroke and neurological disorders. The medical center is also a nationally accredited Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Both South San Francisco and Redwood City have received multiple honors:

• Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco has been recognized for providing safe patient care, earning an “A” grade for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group. It was also recently named to the Cal Hospital Compare 2024 Patient Safety Honor Roll.
• Kaiser Permanente Redwood City was named to Newsweek magazine’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals for 2024 and the Cal Hospital Compare Maternity Care Honor Roll for 2023.

Addessi grew up in Foster City and later moved to San Mateo. Her family was in the grocery business, where she learned the importance of caring for employees, providing excellent customer service, and giving back to the community. She started her health care career as an intern at the San Mateo Medical Center, and then held various leadership roles at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center. Addessi has been with Kaiser Permanente since 2021, previously serving as the Chief Operating Officer at the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. Addessi completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan and earned her Master of Health Service Administration at the University of Michigan. She currently lives in San Mateo County with her husband and two sons.