Press Release

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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The public is invited to the grand opening celebration for the new state-of-the-art county health facility opening in West Contra Costa County.

The celebration will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 4 for Contra Costa Health Services' (CCHS) West County Health Center, which is scheduled to officially open its doors in San Pablo at the end of September. The event will feature live music, refreshments and tours of the 53,000-square-foot, environmentally-friendly facility that replaces the aging Richmond Health Center. Speakers at the event will include Congressman George Miller, CCHS Director Dr. William Walker, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Centers Chief Executive Officer Anna Roth, San Pablo Mayor Cecilia Valdez, San Pablo City Manager Matt Rodriguez and Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia.

"It's exciting that West County residents are getting a new and improved health center we can be proud of," said Gioia, who has worked on building a new facility for more than a decade. "The new health center will allow the County to improve access to high quality health care services in partnership with other providers in the area."

The Richmond Health Center opened in 1967 and currently serves about 7,000 patients a month. The new $45 million facility is significantly larger and will have 58 exam rooms to help meet the demand for health care in West County, according to Dr. Walker.

"This new health center will help us better serve West County residents, increasing the number of people we can serve and improving access to care," Dr. Walker said.

The West County Health Center will continue to offer primary and specialty care, well-baby visits, immunizations, cardiology and other critical services. A $1 million contribution from John Muir Health will help CCHS offer expanded evening and weekend care at the center starting next year. The additional hours will provide a timely and convenient source of care to people who need to be seen the same day but don't require a trip to an emergency department, allowing CCHS to effectively partner with nearby Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo.

"Our goal is to create a health hub in partnership with the community," Roth said. "This new facility will serve as a patient-centered health home to provide the right care, at the right place and at the right time."

Construction of the two-story West County Health Center began in April 2011 after officials spent years searching for an appropriate site and requisite funding. The new facility, located at 13601 San Pablo Ave. in San Pablo, is one of eight health centers operated by CCHS. It is expected to be the first newly constructed county facility to be LEED Silver certified, a distinction given to buildings designed to be environmentally friendly.

For more information about the health center, visit www.cchealth.org/topics/west_county_center/

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