Advice about Kaiser Richmond
Parent Q&A
I go to Kaiser Richmond and I find it much easier to deal with than Oakland - there are usually no waits, it's clean and calm.
I love my primary doctor - Melinda Glines.
I've seen two OBs, Rachel Hartshorn and Lester Refigee and both are kind and wonderful. Don't know about their experience with over 40 and cancer, but I recommend them as thoughtful doctors who are good at listening.
Our pediatrician is a man, so I can't help you there. Good luck!
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Nov 2004
re: Kaiser in Richmond
We go to Kaiser Richmond and I have to say we've been very satisfied there.
They have a great pediatric dept. Our regular ped. is Dr. Berman but we've seen other Drs. there on various occasions and have been happy with all of them. OB-GYN, same thing... They also have a Women's Health Care dept which is separate (I think) from OB-GYN, and a women's breast clinic. A lot of really nice, caring Drs. Nurses, Aids are in Richmond.
I'm not as familiar with everyone in the medical dept, but I see a nurse practitioner, Marianna Phillipek who is more wholistic minded than many other Drs. and nurses there.
The few times we've had emergencies we've been taken care of immediately and with care that made me feel confident. I'm the type of patient who asks a lot of questions and I do a lot of my own research if I have a specific issue. I've almost always been treated with patience and respect (have seen a few drs. over the years that were a bit too arrogant for my taste, but that's the exception, not the rule). I like Richmond also because it's small, so usually my appointments are on time. Can't say anything about therapists there, haven't had experience with them, but Medical, OB and Pediatrics I think are great. Good luck. anon
I find both facilities to be stressful and overwhelming for routine care, especially with two young kids. I would consider heading out a bit past Richmond to go to Kaiser Pinole. Since it's not part of a hospital it's small, friendly and with easy peasy parking. Whenever I go to Kaiser Oakland I have to build in an extra 20 minutes just for parking and finding my way through the huge maze of buildings/offices so it might not add too much time to your overall journey. Also, an amazing pediatrician is located there, Dr. Elizabeth Bassett.
I actually love Kaiser Oakland for pediatrics, though I agree with the other responder on the mazelike aspects for adult care there (which is still scattered across several buildings). But pediatrics is all in one building, except for speciality care, which is right across the street, so it feels very streamlined. We have been incredibly impressed with every pediatrician we've seen over the years for our 4- and 7-year-olds. Parking is a beast, to be sure, but I have learned to just pay for the garage. No experience with either Richmond or Pinole, so I can't compare, but my understanding is that much of the specialist care is in Oakland, so if you do need something beyond the basics, you will get referred to Oakland anyway. We have twice had situations where, at a routine visit, our doctor flagged something as an immediate concern and referred our child, once to a specialist and once to the ER. In the second situation, the doctor called the hospital (just across the street from pediatrics) with all of the information and we just took the elevator down, crossed the street, and were there. So there can be some pluses to being associated with a hospital.
I second the recommendation for Kaiser Pinole pediatrics. Small and easy, and our pediatrician (Dr. Cherilyn Brunetti) is wonderful. If you need specialists, they can put in a referral and you can deal with the larger hospitals in Oakland and Richmond. Good luck!
Hi,
We also live in a Berkeley and my family is insured with Kaiser. I am 4 months PP and was seen at at the Oakland facilities for prenatal check ups and delivery. I loved the Oakland hospital but was not fond of the Oakland clinic facilities. Mainly because they are very busy and I found the care not to be as personalized, and also because of the there's different buildings which can make it confusing. So, after a great recommendation for a pediatrician in Richmond, I decided to visit the Richmond facilities for my son's well child appointments. So far, I have loved the personalized care. Everyone is very nice and professional (not always the case in Oakland), very understanding if I happen to be late to an appointment, I like that all departments are in one building, and there's a big parking structure. Our pediatrician is EXCELLENT. The only down side is that the facility is not close to a freeway exit and I have to plan my appointments to avoid peak traffic hours.
We love Richmond, and in fact when my daughter brought a friend with her one visit, the friend (who goes to Oakland Kaiser) said she wished she could go there. My daughter is 19 now, but that was only 3 years ago. We've found doctors there who we really like. Her Pediatrician was Dr. Desler (a woman), and I'd highly recommend her.
Why is it better? Free parking is a biggie. It's smaller, or more compact, so it's really easy to go from one department to another. And it has everything we have ever needed.
We chose Richmond, even though Oakland was closer, because the parking there was so much easier. It worked out well for us.
I prefer Richmond, because of the horrid traffic to get to Oakland and the pain of parking. Plus, I just find the front desk staff nicer at Richmond and have had very good experiences with the pediatricians. My own experiences with Oakland pediatric (admittedly over 10 years ago now) were much more negative.
You might want to use Google maps or similar app to compare drive times from precisely where you live to each facility at different times of the day. Whether you live in north or south Berkeley, how close the highway, etc. will make a BIG difference in your commute. Given that you have two kids and will presumably have to go to a pediatrician regularly - wellness visits, shots, the usual ear infections, etc. - deal with bad traffic really adds up.