REDWOOD CITY, CA—The new 149-bed Redwood MedicalCenter opened Tuesday concluding an unprecedented periodof growth, for medical property company KaiserPermanente. This is the third new hospital the firm hasopened in Northern California in 2014.
The striking seven-floor, 280,000-square foot structure at thecorner of Veterans Boulevard and Walnut Street is adjacent to abuilding it replaces. It meets the state's new, stricterseismic-safety standards that go into effect on January 1.Redwood City is a regional center for Kaiser Permanente's advancedneurological care and surgery, and the new hospital featuresneuro-interventional radiology suites, neurological CT scans andneuro-interventional imaging suites, and dedicated neurological andorthopedic operating rooms.
"Our new Redwood City hospital is the culmination of a $2billion commitment by Kaiser Permanente to our members andthe communities we serve," said Gregory Adams,group president and regional president of Kaiser FoundationHospitals and Health Plan, Inc., inNorthern California. "We are an industry leader in deliveringhigh-quality, affordable health care, and as the third new facilitywe have opened this year, the Redwood City hospital reflects ourcommitment to providing exceptional, patient-centered care to ourmembers in modern, up-to-date facilities."
The new facility features private rooms with room service, Wi-Fiand pull-out guest beds so family and friends can stay close tohospitalized loved ones overnight. Throughout the hospital, patientrooms feature the Get Well Network, an interactive electronicpatient care board connected to a 42-inch plasma screen. Patientscan view television programs, movies and patient-education videos;they can find the names of doctors and nurses, receive email, andread a care schedule that covers their hospital stay and follow-upcare once they are released. The hospital also features anelectronic way-finding board that helps members and visitors findpeople and destinations in the hospital, in English andSpanish.
"The new hospital at Redwood City and its fellow new hospitals inOakland and San Leandro showcase the excellence in medical carethat we provide in Kaiser Permanente. Our superior quality outcomesand personalized service have allowed us to increase our membershipin Northern California by more than 170,000 individuals this year,and made us the model for health care for the future," saidRobert Pearl, MD, executive director and CEO ofThe Permanente Medical Group. "The neurosurgicalteam in Redwood City is world class and their results exceptional.This state-of-the-art hospital will allow them to provide even moreimpressive care for the most complex problems that patientsexperience."
Kaiser Permanente began large-scale facilities work in 2002-2003with the debut of a major hospital construction effort in NorthernCalifornia. The main thrust of the program was to create or enhancefacilities to embrace new technologies and other advanced featuresof modern health care.
A large component of that work involved seismic upgrades to meetnewer, more stringent requirements that were enacted by the stateafter the Loma Prieta andNorthridge earthquakes.
Over the past 10 years, Kaiser Permanente in Northern Californiaalso has built and opened a new Santa Clara Medical Center;replaced the hospital tower at Vallejo; performed major expansionsat Santa Rosa, Roseville and South Sacramento; and constructed newexpansion medical centers that are now serving members inAntioch, Modesto andVacaville.
The company operates 21 hospitals and 237 medical office buildingsin Northern California, which serve 3.6 million members.