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

By Alex Matthews | December 18, 2017
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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Richmond Tales Fest turns page on literacy and healthy living

By Tyler Orsburn | April 23, 2013 |
Richmond Tales Fest: An Afternoon of Family Literacy and Healthy Living

“Books” and “fitness” were the words of the day for many Richmond families Saturday afternoon as they strolled a sunny Civic Center plaza learning about both. While children combed vendor tents for new and exciting books to take home, and exercised in a play station provided by Kaiser Permanente, parents had the opportunity to measure…

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