The Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center recently marked a major milestone: 30 years of delivering high-quality health care and services in the local community.
At a celebratory event, employees and physicians reminisced about the early days at the hospital and enjoyed live music, dancing, a photobooth, and speeches from physicians, hospital leaders, and elected officials.
Longtime employees, like Angela Isidro, who has been with Kaiser Permanente Richmond since 1980, reflected on how health care has evolved through the years: “We went from writing and charting with big binders to computers.”
“It just gives me a sense of pride,” said Emilie Barba, RN, who has worked as a nurse for 36 years. “I remember my mother bringing me to an appointment and the receptionist would stamp your card. I said, ‘I want to do that one day!’”
This year also marks the 80th anniversary of Kaiser Permanente as a health care provider, which has deep roots in Richmond that date back to World War II.
Henry J. Kaiser owned the Richmond Shipyards, which were a major hub for creating wartime ships. He launched pre-paid medical care for the workers, to keep them and their families healthy and able to meet demands of wartime production.
“Eighty years ago, we opened our doors to the public to provide integrated care and coverage all in one place. We served everyone that needed care,” said John Morehouse, MD, physician in chief at Kaiser Permanente Richmond.
The Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital was the first Kaiser Permanente hospital. It provided care at its location on Cutting Boulevard until 1995, when it was replaced by the modern medical center downtown. The Field Hospital is now a historic site.
“I started here when it was just one building, so I saw all of these buildings go up,” said Barba.
The Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center now serves approximately 137,000 members. The hospital provides specialized care to patients. Some of the services include a healthy living center that screens patients for a variety of health conditions; a state-of-the-art blood pressure clinic; and two surgical robots, which allow surgeons to operate through a few small incisions leading to faster and easier recoveries for surgical patients.
In recognition of the vital role Kaiser Permanente plays in the Richmond community, Mayor Eduardo Martinez issued a proclamation and Supervisor John Gioia thanked those on the front lines for their dedication to keeping people healthy.
“The future is bright here in Richmond,” said Dante Green, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente East Bay, which includes the Richmond Medical Center. “We are excited about expanding services and having a larger footprint in the community.”
This report was submitted for publication by Kaiser Permanente of Northern California.
