John Muir Health System Provides Continuing Care for a Growing California Community
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In Contra Costa County‚ John Muir Medical Center – Concord Campus is continuing a heartfelt tradition of bringing world-class health care to the families of Northern California.
“Our mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve with quality and compassion‚” says Thomas Harlan‚ president and chief admin istrative officer of John Muir Medical Center – Concord Campus. “We have an outstanding staff and physicians and are able to provide leading-edge services and medical expertise right here in our community.”
The Concord medical center is one of two full-service area hospitals oper ated by John Muir Health. The other‚ John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek Campus‚ is designated as the only trauma center for Contra Costa County and portions of Solano County.
The two medical centers joined in 1997 to offer patients a comprehensive selection of health-care services. John Muir Health also includes a behavioral health center in Concord and area outpatient centers.
John Muir Health’s commitment to providing quality care is made evident by the growing number of inpatient and outpatient specialties the health system offers.
The Concord Campus has long been recognized as a preeminent center for cancer and cardiac care‚ including open-heart surgery and interventional cardiology. General surgery‚ advanced endoscopic and robotic surgery‚ weight-loss surgery‚ and orthopedic and neurology programs are just a few of the 56 specialties that are available.
Now‚ significant steps are being taken to prepare for the growing county’s future health-care needs. Soon‚ the John Muir Health Cardiovascular Institute will be housed in a new six-level tower.
The institute will include four cardiac catheterization labs for diag nostic and treatment procedures‚ advanced equipment and monitoring‚ and 61 private patient rooms. Plans are also in the works for a new and much-expanded emergency room that will include a satellite-imaging center with a CT scanner. Separately‚ a new‚ 56‚000-square-foot MuirLab core laboratory soon will be constructed on a north Concord site. The facility will provide a faster‚ automated approach to process blood and lab tests.
Harlan says two factors prompted expansion of the Concord campus – mandates for seismic retrofitting of hospitals and capacity issues.
“As the community has grown‚ so has the medical center‚ adding services and capacity to meet the needs of the population‚” Harlan says.
The medical center originally opened as Concord Community Hospital in 1930 and has undergone several renovations to enhance services and keep pace with continually changing advances in health-care delivery.
“The new facilities will include provisions to allow for future tech nological innovation and continued leading-edge patient care‚” he says.
Story by Melanie Hill
Photo by Wes Aldridge
