Kaiser Permanente Napa, located in one of the world’s most famous wine country regions, started in 1951 at a Spanish Colonial-style building on Jefferson Street. A small team of doctors, nurses, and staff provided medical care to Napa County families. Census records show the county had a population of about 47,000 people at the time.
Today, the county’s population has nearly tripled to about 133,000 residents. Kaiser Permanente now has 250 physicians and staff at its Napa Medical Offices Building, serving about 35,500 Napa County residents, which represents about 27 percent of the county’s population.
A 75th anniversary party at the Trefethen Vineyards celebrated Kaiser Permanente Napa’s birthday in late September where physicians, employees, honored guests, and elected reminisced about the early days and marked 75 years of caring for the community
The anniversary event was held at the Trefethen Vineyards for a special reason.
The highly respected patriarch of the family, Eugene (Gene) Trefethen, started his career with Kaiser Industries Corporation as a summer laborer during college. He soon got promoted to assistant to Henry J. Kaiser. Trefethen was involved in highly visible projects, including the Bay Bridge and Hoover Dam. He ultimately became the president and vice chair of Kaiser Industries and many of its subsidiaries.
Mark Zemelman, former Kaiser Permanente general counsel and an amateur historian of the organization, laid out the beginnings of Kaiser Permanente in detail during his engaging presentation. Zemelman explained that, aside from Henry Kaiser and Dr. Sidney Garfield, it was Trefethen who played the greatest role in expanding the pre-paid health care plan from one that covered only Kaiser workers to one that was available to everyone.
“Dr. Garfield went to Gene and proposed that, when the war ended, Kaiser Permanente should become a public health plan, open to everyone, not just Kaiser employees. Gene agreed, and he created the health plan,” said Zemelman. “It was the first time that blue-collar workers could get affordable, comprehensive, high-quality health care.”
After his retirement, Trefethen tended to his vineyards, until his passing in 1996. Those vineyards later became the winery estate operated by his family today.
To mark Trefethen’s role in the history of Kaiser Permanente and in the history of Napa, Mike Bowers, FACHE, president of Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Region, presented the Trefethen family with a special bowl crafted from a tree that once stood at the original clinic location.
The organization’s strong stature, symbolized by that bowl, is not lost on Andrea Clarke, MD, who, as physician in charge, leads the clinical team at the Napa Medical Offices.
“To me, Kaiser Permanente represents quality, service, and stability woven into the fabric of our community for 75 years,” said Dr. Clarke. “Our care is deeply personal, built on long-term relationships between physicians and staff, and generations of Napa families. I am reminded that health care is about human connection. We are honored by the trust this community has placed in us.”
Kaiser Permanente has provided the community with more than medical services. As of 2026, Kaiser Permanente has invested more than $15 million in programs that strengthen the Napa community, supporting efforts to reduce food insecurity, address homelessness, expand mental health services, develop future leaders, and create pathways to employment.
Alex Pader from Senator Christopher Cabaldon’s office and Tracy Krumpen from the Office of Assembly Majority Leader Cecelia Aguiar Curry presented a joint proclamation of commendation to Kaiser Permanente at the anniversary celebration. “[Kaiser Permanente] is a one-stop shop,” Krumpen said. “It’s comprehensive, it’s coordinated, and it’s caring.”
