‘We’re in a crisis’: Richmond tests public health innovation in health care desert

While Kaiser has done its best to fill the gap in West County since Doctors Medical Center closed, its 50-bed capacity is small compared to nearby facilities. Alta Bates, shown in red, may close by 2020, potentially further reducing the number of hospital beds in the area. To move the map, hold shift and drag.

Richmond residents’ access to health care is limited, and the situation is not improving. Policies at the state and federal level have put providers in dire financial straits, and access to emergency and primary care does not look good for West County. But proponents of a new approach to public health, one that’s being tested in Richmond, say that health is more than just health care. This new municipal ordinance, called “Health in All Policies,” treats the city planner as the city’s doctor. But in Richmond, where many people have trouble getting access to a medical doctor, will this prescription for the city as a patient be effective?

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