Health Care - Health And Wellness
Emergencies happen. Even the best-planned vacation or business trip can be interrupted by a visit to a doctor or hospital emergency room.
When relocating, it’s always a challenge to find the right medical assistance. In this chapter we’ll provide some help in locating the services you may need. Keep in mind that this chapter is not comprehensive. There are many health-care centers in San Diego, and additional satellite clinics open frequently. The ones we present are representative of the many options in this area.
San Diego has 26 accredited hospitals and several medical and scientific research organizations. Yet the demand for hospital beds is increasing, and some of the smaller institutions in outlying areas are struggling to keep up with growth and demand. We also have several specifically designated trauma centers. That means when serious trouble hits, you can be at a trauma center in minutes. In fact, San Diego is one of the nation’s leaders when it comes to trauma care. San Diego is unique in that its trauma centers work together with the County Division of Emergency Medical Services to create an efficient system. That system, which coordinates the efforts of physicians, hospital staff, and county health officials, was put together in 1984 and was immediately successful: The county trauma death rate dropped by 55 percent in the first year. In 2006 San Diego’s medical leaders proposed a similar system for cardiac care that would route patients to hospitals skilled in preventing heart attacks.
To say you’re in good hands in San Diego is a truism. Insiders take wellness seriously, and the county has small, sophisticated wellness centers and state-of-the-art hospitals. ScrippsHealth and Sharp Healthcare are the largest providers of medical services, with branches throughout the county. Scripps includes some of San Diego’s standard bearers, including Scripps Mercy Hospital, the oldest hospital in the county. Established in 1890, Mercy (as most locals call it) is San Diego’s only Catholic hospital.
Our county also offers adequate mental health facilities, alternative medical care, walk-in facilities, and drug- and substance-abuse treatment centers. You’ll want to check the yellow pages in the telephone directory under your specific need. The sections on home health care, mental health, physical therapists, nurses, and nursing registries, as well as clinics and care for the disabled, will help you find services. In this chapter we’ve included the major health-care facilities, including information on mental health, hospice programs, and alternative care. The hospitals are listed alphabetically by region. The sections on mental health, hospice, and alternative care are a countywide overview.
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Health Care
Address: 3020 Children’s Way
2. Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Center
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (619) 528-5000, (619) 528-3290
Address: 4647 Zion Avenue
Description: Centrally located in San Diego, this medical center serves those who belong to the Kaiser Permanente group. Here and at various other Kaiser facilities in the county, members can access outpatient treatments for anything from addictions to women’s health problems. Most patients go to the Zion Avenue facility for any care that requires a stay in the hospital. There are about 400 beds in this large medical center.Other Kaiser facilities have pharmacies on campus; check the white pages of the phone book. The one at the Zion Avenue hospital, however, is open seven days a week. This hospital also features a well-staffed emergency facility where patients are treated for life-threatening and non-life-threatening needs.
3. Sharp Coronado Hospital
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (619) 522-3600
Description: This 204-bed acute-care hospital was established in 1942 and continues to serve the Coronado community. The hospital has four operating rooms, an intensive care unit, and a 24-hour emergency room. It provides obstetrical services, sub-acute and long-term care, and rehabilitation therapies.The Motion Center, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, provides therapy and fitness programs for inpatients, outpatients, and the community. In addition to operating the Villa Coronado skilled nursing facility, the hospital also offers senior services such as skin cancer screening, mature drivers’ courses, and health-education classes.
4. Sharp Mary Birch Hospital For Women
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (858) 541-3400
Address: 3003 Health Center Drive
Description: Opened in 1992, this hospital provides services for women in all stages of life. In a single location and with more than 108 licensed acute beds and 61 neonatal intensive care beds, the hospital, which has its own pharmacy, focuses on complete care, including normal and high-risk obstetrics (delivering nearly 7,000 babies a year), diagnostic testing for women and infants, and in- and outpatient gynecological care. It is known for its Sharp Fertility Center and the services of the Sharp Perinatal Center, an ambulatory center for women experiencing high-risk pregnancy. It also provides a “mother’s milk depot,” which stores breast milk for babies in need. The hospital continues to be recognized nationally as one of few similar facilities dedicated to women’s care.
5. Sharp Memorial Hospital
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (858) 541-3400
Address: 7901 Frost Street
Description: The new Sharp Memorial opened in 2007. As one of San Diego’s trauma centers, it handles over 1,000 trauma cases annually. It also is a provider of cardiac care; each year it performs thousands of cardiac cauterizations and hundreds of angioplasties and cardiac surgeries.It is especially known for outstanding programs in cardiac care, trauma care, cancer treatment, pulmonary care services, rehabilitation, and multi-organ transplantation. Memorial also offers extensive outpatient care and prevention programs. Its Sharp Senior Health Center offers health groups and services for seniors. Its Web site is an excellent source of health-care tips.
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Health Care
Address: 200 West Arbor Drive
7. Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (858) 694-8300
Address: 7850 Vista Hill Avenue
Description: Sharp Mesa Vista is the largest freestanding psychiatric hospital in San Diego County. The 150-bed facility was opened in 1963 and became affiliated with Sharp HealthCare in 1998. It offers premier psychiatric services with a medical staff that includes 40 psychiatrists.Treatment programs are designed for specific patient populations, including adults, children, and chemical dependents. It shares services with the U.S. Navy’s adult psychiatric inpatient program, its child and adolescent psychiatry program, and the department of obstetrics.