FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February, 2026
Deerfield Beach, FL: Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center (KP San Rafael) has been awarded Watson Caring Science Institute’s (WCSI) Lotus Recognition™ Award, a national honor celebrating organizations that exemplify a deeply embedded culture of human caring grounded in Watson’s Caring Science and the 10 Caritas Processes®.
The Lotus Recognition™ acknowledges more than programs or outcomes—it honors how caring is lived, practiced, and felt across an organization. At KP San Rafael, Caring Science is not an abstract philosophy; it’s translated into intentional, human-centered practices that support patients, families, and caregivers at every stage of the care journey.
“Kaiser Permanente San Rafael’s approach to care is rooted in the belief that healing happens through human connection. Receiving the Lotus Recognition affirms the compassion, presence, and commitment our teams bring to every patient and family, every day.”
Across the medical center, teams have woven the 10 Caritas Processes® into daily practice through innovative and compassionate initiatives that honor dignity, presence, and connection. From deeply personal caring moments at the bedside to system-wide efforts that foster healing environments, KP San Rafael demonstrates how human connection remains central—even amid the complexity of modern healthcare.
One powerful example includes the creation of meaningful caring moments for patients and families, particularly at the end of life. Through acts of collaboration and intentional presence, care teams have been able to transform ordinary hospital spaces into places of remembrance, dignity, and peace. Reminding patients and families that they are seen, honored, and deeply cared for.
The organization has also advanced holistic approaches to healing through comfort-focused modalities for patients and families, daily reflection on caring moments during leadership safety briefings, and communication practices designed to reduce anxiety and build trust across care transitions. These initiatives reinforce a culture where compassion is consistent, visible, and shared.
Equally important is their commitment and acknowledgement of the caregiver’s well-being. Programs centered on peer support, gratitude, mindfulness, and restorative spaces affirm that caring for those who care is essential to sustaining meaningful human-centered practice.
As a Watson Caring Science Institute Affiliate, Kaiser Permanente continues to integrate Caring Science into their professional governance, leadership development, and everyday clinical practice—ensuring that Caritas is not a concept, but a lived experience in all systems.
The Lotus Recognition™️ celebrates Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center as a place where dignity is upheld, presence is prioritized, and healing is shaped by authentic human connection.
ENDS
About Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center: Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans. We currently serve members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Our care model enables our teams to think and work as one, coordinating your care seamlessly, so you don’t have to — and delivering better care when it matters most. Care for members and patients’ focuses on their total health. Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and teams of caregivers guide all care. Our medical teams are enabled by industry-leading technology and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, care delivery, and chronic disease management. Find out more here.
About Watson Caring Science Institute (WCSI): The Watson Caring Science Institute (WCSI) is an international non-profit organization that advances the philosophies, theories, and practices of Human Caring/Caring Science, founded by Jean Watson, Ph.D., RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, LL (AAN), WCSI’s Founder & Director. Focusing on research, education, praxis, leadership, and legacy, the institute aims to widen the development and understanding of Watson’s Caring Science to inform our notion of quality care and healing environments through various educational programs, nurse scientific research, partnerships, events and affiliations. For more information, please visit www.watsoncaringscience.org.
For further information about Lotus Recognition contact Dianne Reid, Program Enrichment Director, at dianne@watsoncaringscience.org