Richmond Medical Center
Encyclopedia
Richmond Medical Center is a large Kaiser Permanente
hospital in downtown
Richmond
, California
which serves 77,000 members registered under its medical plans.
era field hospital . The Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital
opened in 1942 to serve workers at the Richmond Shipyards
who had signed up for the "Kaiser Plan", one of the first voluntary prepaid health plans and a direct precursor to the modern Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
. The original 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 one pavilion, but was expanded to three in the 1990s, including upgrading to a full hospital service including surgery
and emergency. The hospital portion underwent further expansion in 2006.
in Walnut Creek
. Children can directed to Children's Hospital Oakland
when conditions warrant.
health plan. This is a health coverage for those who are on welfare
, poor, disabled, and seniors. The department assists patients to access their benefits and navigate applications and appeals.
Richmond Medical Center offers Health Education workshops to educate their members about healthy lifestyles. There is a Breast Health Clinic. The hospital has a dedicated HIV
services unit to assist patients who are HIV-positive. Home Health Care and Chronic Conditions departments provide advice on home care those with chronic conditions such as dementia
, asthma
, diabetes, or epilepsy
, and also helps people with common afflictions such as seasonal allergies or influenza
. There is a Respiratory Care department which is dedicated specifically to those with asthma, an illness which has a high incidence in Richmond. The rehabilitation department oversees physical therapy for those who have suffered severe injuries or amputation
s. 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 has a teen clinic where adolescents may attend without the accompaniment or consent of an adult and without going to Pediatrics; it 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 cocaine
, and others. Toddlers are taken to the Early Start unit which provides motor skills and cognitive development
and disease screening
and offers classes for parents.
The hospital performs bariatric surgery
and head and neck surgery on top of standard surgery.
, Pathology
, Pediatrics, Cardiology
, Podiatry
, Hospitalists, Psychiatry
, Radiology
, Dermatology
, Medicine, Dietician, Outpatient Services, Neurology
, Obstetrics
and Gynecology, Ear, Nose and Throat, Oncology
, Eye Clinic, and Orthopedics
.
Richmond Medical Center has three on-site pharmacies
and an on-site laboratory.
station which is in walking distance. Many AC Transit
bus lines and one Golden Gate Transit
line are within a short walking distance as well. Free parking is provided to visitors at a connected garage.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield...
hospital in downtown
Downtown Richmond, Richmond, California
Downtown Richmond is the old center of Richmond, California. The area is roughly bordered by 6th street to the west, 23rd Street to the east, Barrett Avenue to the north, and Macdonald Avenue to the south. The area once featured major department stores and other chains such as J.C. Penney, S. H....
Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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 IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era field hospital . The Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital
Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital
The Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital was the first Kaiser Permanente Hospital and is a historic site resource of the city of Richmond, California, and a contributing property to Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
opened in 1942 to serve workers at the Richmond Shipyards
Richmond Shipyards
The four Richmond Shipyards, located in the city of Richmond, California, United States, were run by Permanente Metals and part of the Kaiser Shipyards, and were responsible for constructing more ships during World War II than any other shipyard in the country. The shipyards are part of the Rosie...
who had signed up for the "Kaiser Plan", one of the first voluntary prepaid health plans and a direct precursor to the modern Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
Health maintenance organization
A health maintenance organization is an organization that provides managed care for health insurance contracts in the United States as a liaison with health care providers...
. The original hospital closed in 1995. Along with the entire neighborhood of Atchison Village
Atchison Village, Richmond, California
Atchison Village is a community in Richmond, California which was originally built as housing for defense workers from the Kaiser Shipyards. It lies at an elevation of 13 feet...
, it is now on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and is part of Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park is located in Richmond, California, near San Francisco. The park encompasses an array of historic properties in the city which were constructed during the 1940s to support America's entry into World War II.The park is a "partnership...
.
The hospital was originally one pavilion, but was expanded to three in the 1990s, including upgrading to a full hospital service including surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
and emergency. The hospital portion underwent further expansion in 2006.
Emergency services
The hospital offers emergency medical services in addition to surgery and is currently being enlarged. The partial closure of the next closest hospital, Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo, has put a strain on emergency services. Patients with more serious complications are sent to John Muir HealthJohn Muir Health
John Muir Health is a health care service headquartered in Walnut Creek, California and serving Contra Costa County, California and surrounding communities. It was formed in 1997 from the merger of John Muir Medical Center and Mt...
in Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek
-Communities:United States of America*Walnut Creek, California*Walnut Creek, North Carolina*Walnut Creek, Ohio-Schools:*A middle school in Metropolitan Detroit that belongs to the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools District in Oakland County, Michigan.-Streams:...
. Children can directed to Children's Hospital Oakland
Children's Hospital Oakland
Children's Hospital Oakland, full name Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland, is a children's hospital in Oakland, California. It is the only independent children’s hospital in the northern part of the state and is designated a Level I pediatric trauma center...
when conditions warrant.
Special services
Richmond Medical Center has Benefits Advocacy and Social Services departments to assist those with the state funded Medi-CalMedi-Cal
The California Medical Assistance Program is the name of the California Medicaid program serving low-income families, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and certain low-income adults...
health plan. This is a health coverage for those who are on welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
, poor, disabled, and seniors. The department assists patients to access their benefits and navigate applications and appeals.
Richmond Medical Center offers Health Education workshops to educate their members about healthy lifestyles. There is a Breast Health Clinic. The hospital has a dedicated HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
services unit to assist patients who are HIV-positive. Home Health Care and Chronic Conditions departments provide advice on home care those with chronic conditions such as dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
, asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, diabetes, or epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, and also helps people with common afflictions such as seasonal allergies or influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
. There is a Respiratory Care department which is dedicated specifically to those with asthma, an illness which has a high incidence in Richmond. The rehabilitation department oversees physical therapy for those who have suffered severe injuries or amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
s. 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 has a teen clinic where adolescents may attend without the accompaniment or consent of an adult and without going to Pediatrics; it has a focus on sexual health and substance use
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
. That unit works with the chemical dependency department which provides health care for those with addictions
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and recreational use of various narcotics such as alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, marijuana, prescription abuse, crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
, and others. Toddlers are taken to the Early Start unit which provides motor skills and cognitive development
Child development
Child development stages describe theoretical milestones of child development. Many stage models of development have been proposed, used as working concepts and in some cases asserted as nativist theories....
and disease screening
Screening (medicine)
Screening, in medicine, is a strategy used in a population to detect a disease in individuals without signs or symptoms of that disease. Unlike what generally happens in medicine, screening tests are performed on persons without any clinical sign of disease....
and offers classes for parents.
The hospital performs bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery includes a variety of procedures performed on people who are obese. Weight loss is achieved by reducing the size of the stomach with an implanted medical device or through removal of a portion of the stomach or by resecting and re-routing the small intestines...
and head and neck surgery on top of standard surgery.
Regular services
The hospital's standard departments and services are: Allergy, GastroenterologyGastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
, Pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, Pediatrics, Cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, Podiatry
Podiatry
Podiatry is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower leg. The term podiatry came into use first in the early 20th century United States, where it now denotes a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine , a specialist who is qualified by their...
, Hospitalists, Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, Radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
, Dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
, Medicine, Dietician, Outpatient Services, Neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
, Obstetrics
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
and Gynecology, Ear, Nose and Throat, Oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
, Eye Clinic, and Orthopedics
Orthopedics
Orthopedics is the study of the musculoskeletal system. The Greek word 'ortho' means straight or correct and 'pedics' comes from the Greek 'pais' meaning children. For many centuries, orthopedists have been involved in the treatment of crippled children...
.
Richmond Medical Center has three on-site pharmacies
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
and an on-site laboratory.
Transportation
The hospital provides free shuttle service between 7 AM and 10 PM every 15 minutes to the Richmond BART/AmtrakRichmond Station (California)
Richmond Station is an at-grade Bay Area Rapid Transit and Amtrak station located in Richmond, California. Each system is served by an island platform. The Capitol Corridor, San Joaquins, California Zephyr, and Coast Starlight stop here and connect to BART. The station is currently being rebuilt...
station which is in walking distance. Many AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
bus lines and one Golden Gate Transit
Golden Gate Transit
Golden Gate Transit is a public transportation system serving the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. It mainly serves Marin and Sonoma Counties, and also provides limited service to San Francisco and Contra Costa County.Golden Gate Transit is one of three...
line are within a short walking distance as well. Free parking is provided to visitors at a connected garage.
External links
- Richmond Medical Center at Kaiser Permanente website
- Aerial image at Google Maps