Mitch Saruwatari currently serves as the Director of National Emergency Management for Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plans with 39 hospitals, 737 medical offices, and 12.6 million members. In this role, he helps lead the organization in building resiliency through strategic planning, developing coordinated response activities, and partnering in recovery capabilities resulting from any adverse event impacting healthcare delivery or business operations. Each year, Mitch’s team responds to hundreds of events and frequently partners with local, state, and national response organizations to improve community healthcare coordination. This includes ongoing risk assessment and aligning local, regional, and national command centers.
Throughout his 25 years of professional experience, Mitch has responded to various disasters and emergencies, including the attacks on September 11, 2001, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, multiple California wildfires, the ebola outbreak, and the coronavirus pandemic. He has served on state and national committees including as Chair for the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) Center for Education and Training National Advisory Board.
Mitch earned a BS in biology at Pepperdine University and an MPH with a concentration in epidemiology at the University of California Los Angeles.
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