Kaiser Permanente Of California Ca

New Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center Under Construction "Tops Out"

New Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center Under Construction "Tops Out"

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Secures Last Steel Beam at Event to Commemorate the Construction Milestone

OAKLAND, CA, Jul 13, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The final beam in the steel superstructure of the new Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center was put in place on July 5 during a traditional "topping out" ceremony that celebrated an important benchmark in the construction of the new hospital.

Kaiser Permanente leaders and employees, the project's general contractor McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., and Oakland city and neighborhood leaders commemorated the milestone by signing the last 1,200-pound steel beam, which was then hoisted and secured in place.

The 12-story, 349-bed hospital is scheduled to open in 2014, and will replace the existing hospital across MacArthur Boulevard. The construction is part of the state-mandated earthquake safety retrofit of all California hospitals. NBBJ serves as the project's architect.

"For more than 65 years Kaiser Permanente has served the health care needs of this community. We recognized and celebrated the significant achievement of placing the last steel beam on top of the new Oakland Hospital Tower, confirming our commitment to that legacy for future generations," said Nate Oubre, senior vice president and East Bay Area manager for Kaiser Permanente, Northern California.

"We are thrilled to be an integral part in fulfilling Kaiser Permanente's vision to expand its offering of exceptional medical facilities in California," said Rich Henry, president of McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.'s Northern Pacific Division. "As the general contractor, we've streamlined project delivery with a special emphasis on utilizing innovative technologies throughout the design and construction phases. It was exciting to come together with Kaiser Permanente and the local community leaders to place the final beam on Kaiser's new 'flagship' hospital facility here in Oakland."

The first of three phases of the project was completed in May 2009 with the opening of the Broadway Medical Office Building and Cancer Center and an adjacent parking garage. The second phase of the project includes the new hospital and a Specialty Medical Office Building, which will house 99 medical provider offices, six outpatient operating rooms and seven outpatient procedure rooms.

Whooping Cough Epidemic Exposes Holes in California's Immunization ...

The whooping cough epidemic that has killed six babies and made an estimated 1,500 people sick in California this year is exposing holes in the state’s immunization system, which leaders in the public health community are now racing to patch.

Last month, the California Department of Public Health declared whooping cough an epidemic. Public health officials are urging anyone who has contact with children under the age of one to get a whooping cough booster shot called Tdap.

“California is the worst state for whooping cough,” said Andrew Resignato, director of the San Francisco Immunization Coalition , a partnership of state agencies, community groups and medical organizations.

The state saw a five-fold increase in the number of reported cases of whooping cough in the first half of 2010, compared to the same period last year.

Whooping cough is the common name for pertussis, a bacterial respiratory infection that causes a persistent, fitful cough that can be life-threatening for infants. Highly infectious, it gets its name from the characteristic “whoop” sound that happens as people gasp for breath. But the name might be misleading. Many babies under six months of age who contract pertussis don’t develop the whoop, said Dr. Stephen Parodi, chair of infectious disease for Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Booster shot advised

Health care providers should be able to provide their patients with the Tdap booster shot, which is covered by insurance, said Amy Pine, director of the Communicable Disease Prevention Unit at San Francisco’s Public Health Department. And those who lack insurance can get the shot through their county public health department, either for a small fee or for free.

At the Adult Immunization and Travel Clinic at San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, almost 500 people have received the Tdap shot in July. That’s twice as many as did in July of 2009, said Pam Axelson, the clinic’s nurse manager.

“We’re getting a good response,” she said.

Elsie and William Leal dropped by for their shot because their daughter is six weeks away from giving birth to their sixth grandchild, a boy.

“We want to make sure that we don’t give him anything,” said Elsie Leal. Everyone in their family, from their 25-year-old grandson to their 3-year-old granddaughter is in the process of updating their pertussis immunization. “Anyone who wants to see the baby is going to get it,” she said.

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