Working at Highland General Hospital in Oakland (Vista, Alameda: apartments, homes)

[Courtneyclox]

Hello!

I'm new to the Bay Area, I've been transferred here with my husband who is active duty military. I'm a surgical tech and I've recently accepted a traveling/temporary position at Highland General.

I've tried to do research on the hospital but haven't found much. A lot of the info I've found is on Kaiser or the Sutter Health facilities.

I'm from CA originally but we were stationed in South Carolina the last few years so I'm readjusting to the big city life which I LOVE, by the way. Lived here before in 2003 and I'm so glad to be back.

I've been living the small town life the past few years and I understand Highland is the hospital that serves the uninsured and indigent population in the area. This position is an on call position so it has the potential to have me working late nights. Do I need to be especially concerned about the area the hospital is actually in? Please don't attack me lol, I really like Oakland, love Oakland actually and I know the whole place isn't ghetto. I'd actually like to maybe live there, we're in military housing now so we can get a feel for the area and neighborhoods. But we're still learning our way around so I'm unfamiliar with the particular area Highland is in. If anyone can give me some info I'd appreciate it, and if I need to take any extra safety precautions, beyond not being a dumbass by talking on my phone and walking to the car that would be great.

Thank you!

[baybook]

Hi, My mom worked at Highland for years. She was quite proud of the work they did and the team they had. She used to sayd if she was ever in an accident, have them take her to Highland because they had the best trauma care in the area.

Anyway, no the area around the hospital is not the best. I would be very carefull if I were walking outside at night. But I thought staff had secure parking??

I love Oakland, but yeah, I wouldn't walk around that area by myself at night. Does the hospital have parking escorts?

Originally Posted by Courtneyclox

Hello!

I'm new to the Bay Area, I've been transferred here with my husband who is active duty military. I'm a surgical tech and I've recently accepted a traveling/temporary position at Highland General.

I've tried to do research on the hospital but haven't found much. A lot of the info I've found is on Kaiser or the Sutter Health facilities.

I'm from CA originally but we were stationed in South Carolina the last few years so I'm readjusting to the big city life which I LOVE, by the way. Lived here before in 2003 and I'm so glad to be back.

I've been living the small town life the past few years and I understand Highland is the hospital that serves the uninsured and indigent population in the area. This position is an on call position so it has the potential to have me working late nights. Do I need to be especially concerned about the area the hospital is actually in? Please don't attack me lol, I really like Oakland, love Oakland actually and I know the whole place isn't ghetto. I'd actually like to maybe live there, we're in military housing now so we can get a feel for the area and neighborhoods. But we're still learning our way around so I'm unfamiliar with the particular area Highland is in. If anyone can give me some info I'd appreciate it, and if I need to take any extra safety precautions, beyond not being a dumbass by talking on my phone and walking to the car that would be great.

Thank you!

[Courtneyclox]

Originally Posted by baybook

Hi, My mom worked at Highland for years. She was quite proud of the work they did and the team they had. She used to sayd if she was ever in an accident, have them take her to Highland because they had the best trauma care in the area.

Anyway, no the area around the hospital is not the best. I would be very carefull if I were walking outside at night. But I thought staff had secure parking??

I love Oakland, but yeah, I wouldn't walk around that area by myself at night. Does the hospital have parking escorts?

Thank you for your reply!

I don't start until Wednesday. So I don't know yet, but they probably do. My little podunk hospital in South Carolina did not, but it wasn't terribly necessary out there in the sticks. I'm actually looking forward to working somewhere where I can get some trauma experience. I really haven't spent a lot of time in Oakland yet, so I haven't even been to the hospital. I'm working for an outside staffing agency. Maybe I'll drive over that way and take a look at the facility tomorrow. If its a large facility which I'm sure it is if its the East Bay's trauma center, I'm sure you're right and they have a secure parking area.

Thanks again.

[llowllevellowll]

I wouldn't worry, personally. I have a friend that lives near E.32nd and 13th - I walk her dogs around the neighborhood (occasional day and night) and have never been bothered (and until this thread, never considered it lol). It's just a run-of-the-hill working class area - it's actually not far from some really great areas of Oakland.

It's likely that you'll be in a well-lit hospital parking lot, but even if you weren't, I park on the street over there and have never had issue.

[18Montclair]

Glenview is just across the freeway. Dimond is extremely close. Bella Vista is next door, followed by Ivy Hill followed by Cleveland Heights which borders Lake Merritt and is neighbors with Lakeshore, Grand Lake and Adams Point. All nice neighborhoods.

The hospital's excellent location and convenience to 580 gives you up to very nice areas that are very close---in fact you dont even have to take the freeway.

The area that surrounds Highland Hospital is extremely typical of Oakland in general. All sorts of people of every stripe co-habitate there. Asians are the largest group in Highland Park/Lynn where the hospital is located. African Americans are also greatly represented there.

The housing stock tends to be older and varies between single family homes, apartments and the like.

As far as safety, I dont know what the hospital's policy is as far as walking outside at night but I would err on the side of caution because as you stated, that hospital caters to indigent people and they tend to linger around the hospital after they are released-sometimes even while they are still admitted.

At least 3 times in my life, Ive stopped at the gas station across the street and have seen some person in hospital robes pushing their Intravenous thing on wheels to the gas station to buy cigarettes.

In any event, such is the life of a huge urban hospital that caters to the needs of a county of 1.5 Million.

Other than that, parking is very difficult on the street because its so limited and I think its even by permit?

Furthermore, as Parti Rhinoceros eluded to, I wouldnt be too consumed about safety tho. During the day its not bad at all. At night just be alert of your surroundings and you should be fine.

[fizbin]

Originally Posted by baybook

Hi, My mom worked at Highland for years. She was quite proud of the work they did and the team they had. She used to sayd if she was ever in an accident, have them take her to Highland because they had the best trauma care in the area.

They helped me out big-time on a July night in 1986, post auto accident. The emergency room staff was top rate. Once I was out of the ER things were not quite so nice, but this was quite some time ago and things could have changed.

Not in an area I would volunteer to walk around at night all the time, but staff should have some secure parking process.

[Nineties Flava]

I've been out in that area at night, specifically on 14th Avenue waiting for the 11. Even by Foothill and International it's not bad at night... 14th Avenue is a dividing street of sorts; East of 14th Ave becomes progressively dodgier and west of 14th avenue becomes progressively better, particularly when one is below E. 27th St. Up by the hospital is fine... I wouldn't necessarily want to be hanging out in front of the quikstop or the liquor store across the street from the back entrance of the hospital at night but the rest of the area is fine... it's very quiet at night. I've never noticed anything or anybody suspicious at night when I've been out on foot, although the latest I've been out in that area is 11:00.

As for parking, there's parking at the front entrance.

[Courtneyclox]

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate all of the info. And I appreciate the info and names of specific neighborhoods too. I like to know the area I'm in and the names so I can sound cool. And I really want to spend more time over in Oakland there really is a lot to offer. Alameda is nice too but a little quieter.

So I started work there today and there is NO available parking spots left in the staff lots!!! Crap. There's a freakin waiting list. So now I'm looking to take public transit. I was told parking on the streets is next to impossible. Especially for my shift which will vary, usually 11am-7:30 or 3-12am.

So my new question is: Is the Lake Merritt Bart station safe after dark? Theres a shuttle from the hospital to that bart station and then I can pick up a bus to Alameda. I was told to avoid Fruitvale station at night but Lake Merritt is ok. And how safe/reliable is bus service after 10 or 11pm?

[18Montclair]

I remember years ago the Highland sign cracked or something and some of the letters fell off so instead it read "Highland Ho pit"

LOL..I know that's not relevant to this thread but that memory just popped into my mind.

[Courtneyclox]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

At least 3 times in my life, Ive stopped at the gas station across the street and have seen some person in hospital robes pushing their Intravenous thing on wheels to the gas station to buy cigarettes.

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

I remember years ago the Highland sign cracked or something and some of the letters fell off so instead it read "Highland Ho pit"

LOL..I know that's not relevant to this thread but that memory just popped into my mind.

Your commentary is hilarious by the way. Ho pit. Lol. And why I am not surprised by people walking their sick asses to the gas station for cigarettes?