Kaiser Permanente's Walnut Creek Medical Center opened a new Emergency Department (ED) on November 17, 2003, the largest in Contra Costa County. The new state-of-the-art facility is the only one in the region equipped to handle mass decontamination from a major chemical disaster or other public health emergency.

• 52 patient rooms offering greater privacy and comfort than the traditional curtain-separated treatment rooms in most emergency facilities.

• Cardiac monitoring on all 52 beds.

• Replacement of traditional X-rays with Digital Radiography (DR) technology. Digital images can be viewed from any Kaiser Permanente facility in northern California.

• On-site lab drawing station and digital imaging — resulting in less travel for the patient to other departments.

• Eight permanent decontamination showers. It is the only ED in the area designed to handle mass decontamination from chemical spill.

• Three “negative pressure” isolation rooms to prevent the spread of contagious disease.

• Private triage rooms for patients and family members.

• 140 computer monitors throughout the ED, facilitating the physician or nurse in receiving medical information, such as lab tests.

• Bedside computer in each treatment room.

• 32,000-square feet — 19,000 more than the old facility and the largest in the county.

Each of the 52 patient rooms in the new facility provides continuous monitoring of cardiac and vital signs. The 140 computers in the ED enable physicians to provide quick consultation with specialists throughout the Northern California region and bedside access to patient’s medical records.

The new facility was designed with input from patients, physicians, nurses and staff. The goal was to develop a new concept in emergency care. The private triage and treatment rooms will give patients the comfort and privacy they need.

Construction methods also reflected Kaiser Permanente's goal to conserve natural resources. More than 300 tons of material were reused or recycled and diverted from landfills during the demolition of the offices that occupied the space now housing the new ED.

Kaiser Permanente's Walnut Creek Medical Center celebrates its 50th anniversary in the community this year. The facility was almost entirely rebuilt during the 1990s to meet the latest structural codes and all seismic requirements – including those that take effect in 2030. The medical center has 229 beds, nearly 3,000 staff and 300 physicians to serve the Diablo Service Area. Over the next 6 years, Kaiser Permanente will invest nearly $1 billion in new, upgraded buildings in the area.

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If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

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