Richmond Medical Center



Richmond Medical Center is a large Kaiser Permanente hospital in downtown Richmond, California which serves 77,000 members registered under its medical plans.

History
The current facility was built in the 1970s to replace an aging World War II era field hospital. This hospital was the field hospital for the first Kaiser Hospital in Oakland. It opened in 1942 to serve the Richmond Kaiser Shipyards workers who had signed up for the "Kaiser Plan", one of the first voluntary pre-paid health plans which was a direct precursor to the modern Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). The field hospital closed in 1995. Along with the entire neighborhood of Atchison Village, it is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park.

The hospital was originally made of one pavilion, but was expanded to three in the 1990s, including upgrading to a full hospital service including surgery and emergency. The hospital portion is currently undergoing further expansion of 2006.

Services
Richmond Medical Center has 41 departments and services offered to its members.

Emergency services
The hospital offers emergency medical services in addition to surgery and is currently being enlarged due to greater needs from the community. The partial closure of the next closest hospital Doctors Medical Center has put a strain on emergency services in the community. The hospital performs bariatric surgery and head and neck surgery on top of standard surgery. Patients with more serious complications were traditionally directed to Doctors Medical Center but are now shuttled to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. Children are always directed to Oakland Children's Hospital when medically safe or in life threatening situations if they are brought to Richmond initially.

Special services
In addition to emergency services Kaiser Richmond also offers a wide range urgent care and routine services. The medical center offers specialization in various common departments and notably Benefits Advocacy and Social Services departments which are dedicated to assist those with the state funded Medi-Cal health plan. This is a health coverage for those who are on welfare, poor, disabled, and seniors and this assists them to access their benefits and navigate applications and appeals.

Kaiser Richmond also offers Health Education workshops to educate their members about healthy lifestyles and the Thrive/Viva Bien campaign. There is also a Breast Health Clinic which is a unique preventative health, specific department for women to monitor their mammary health and prevent Breast Cancer. The hospital also features a dedicated HIV services unit to assist patients who are HIV-positive. In addition to that there are Home Health Care and Chronic Conditions departments which provide advice on taking care of yourself or others at home without the need of a doctor which is targeted at those with chronic conditions such as Dementia, Asthma, Diabetes, or Epilepsy or at dealing with common inflictions such as seasonal allergies or influenza. There is also a Respiratory Care department which is dedicated specially to those with Asthma, an illness which has a high incidence in Richmond which many attribute to pollution from industry specifically the Chevron Refinery. The rehabilitation department oversees physical therapy for those who have suffered severe injuries or amputations. There is an occupational health department which is dedicated to educating and treating patients with work related injuries. There is a speech therapy department which assists autistic children. The medical center features a teen clinic where adolescents may attend appointments without the accompaniment or consent of an adult without going to pediatrics this department has a focus on sexual health and substance use. That unit works with the chemical dependency department which provides health care for those with addictions and recreational use of various narcotics such as alcohol, marijuana, prescription abuse, crack and others. Toddlers are taken to the Early Start unit which provides motor skills and cognitive development and disease screening and teaches parents how to best care for their young children.

Regular services
The hospitals more standard departments and services are: Allergy, Gastroenterology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Cardiology, Podiatry, Hospitalists, Psychiatry, Radiology, Dermatology, Medicine, Dietician, Outpatient Services, Neurology, Ob/Gyn, Ear, Nose & Throat, Oncology, Eye Clinic, and Orthopedics.

Kaiser has three on-site pharmacies and all tests are performed in the hospital's own Laboratory

Transportation
The hospital provides free shuttle service between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. every 15 minutes to the Richmond BART/Amtrak station which is in walking distance. Many AC Transit bus lines are within a short walking distance as well. Free parking is provided to all visitors by a 6 story garage which is connected to the hospital by a canopy covered walkway.