Kaiser Permanente San Rafael

Gary Mizono, MD

Note: Each issue of Marin Medicine includes a self-reported update from one local hospital or clinic, on a rotating basis.

Kaiser Permanente San Rafael is beginning construction in late summer of our new emergency department, with completion scheduled for fall 2013. A lot has changed in emergency medicine since we opened our present ED in 1976.

The new ED will be 17,550 square feet, compared to our present size of approximately 6,000 square feet. The design will allow our stroke-certified, STEMI-receiving and EDAT (Emergency Department Approved for Trauma) teams more room to provide patients with the care and service that has produced the highest satisfaction scores in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region. The new space will also enhance our ED to hospital bed time, which currently places patients who require admission into a hospital bed in less than one hour, 85% of the time.

Key issues for EDs nationwide include the immediate care of septic and C. diff patients. In response to those concerns, the new ED will feature more negative-pressure and isolation rooms.

As part of our ED’s rapid care model, minor injuries will be separated from life-threatening and serious conditions. Patients with lower acuity will be triaged and quickly treated by an ED physician in a private assessment area at the front of the department. Patients with more serious conditions will be brought back into the main ED to receive the appropriate level of care and staffing. Overall wait times for major and minor injuries will be reduced.

With the new ED, Kaiser Permanente will continue its commitment to the local EMS system. Paramedics and EMTs will have a separate workstation and access to a shower inside the ED and in proximity to the emergency vehicle entrance. There will also be an indoor hazmat shower for disasters. The new ED will have security 24/7 to protect our patients, visitors, physicians and staff.

Our commitment to environmental sustainability and green construction practices is demonstrated in the selection of building materials for the new ED, including PVC-free materials in flooring and carpeting, low-VOC paint, low-mercury light fixtures, and many recycled materials.

Patients and their families will appreciate the enlarged lobby, which will have expansive windows to bring in natural light and provide calming views of the surrounding hillsides and greenery. There will also be a play area for young children.

The new ED is part of a larger construction project. Other components include the seismic retrofit of the existing parking structure, as well as the addition of 309 more parking spaces. The parking structure will also have charging stations for electric cars.

Kaiser Permanente San Rafael is a community hospital, and we see both members and non-members in our ED. The expectation is that we will continue to care for the same number of patients, but in an improved and enlarged space.

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Dr. Mizono, an otolaryngologist, is physician-in-chief at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael.

Email: gary.mizono@kp.org