Construction Begins on New Kaiser Hospital

Amidst all the mounds of earth and dirt on Veterans Boulevard, construction will finally begin at the new Kaiser Permanente facility. Local officials and medical professionals celebrated today as they officially broke ground on the new state of the art medical facility at .

A groundbreaking ceremony took place among tractors and mounds of earth at Veterans Boulevard and Walnut Street where contractor Rudolph and Sletten is preparing grounds for construction.

“It’s just amazing that we get a glimpse of reality today,” said Linda Jensen, Redwood City’s senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and Hospitals. “Everyone has worked tirelessly to have the hospital designed, approved and discussed within the community.”

The 7-story, 149-bed, 280,000 square-foot building will be accompanied by a comforting healing garden and the latest technology to ensure the community the most advanced medical care possible. The facility is to be completed in late 2014.

The current Redwood City Kaiser hospital was built in 1968.

“It was designed for the medical needs of a different era,” said Regional Media Relations Specialist for Kaiser, Karl Sonkin.

The ceremony was honored with the presence of Maryann Gonzales, a former Kaiser nurse who broke ground on the 1968 building.

“I was on the tractor that broke the ground,” she said. “I was just a puppy when I started.”

Gonzales said that in her nearly 44 years as a nurse at Kaiser she always acknowledged the excellent care available to the community.

“It was wonderful,” Gonzales said. “I loved it from start to finish.”

Though staff members agree that the hospital has served them well through the years, there is a definite need for improvement.

“It has served us well, but also aged with us,” said Dr. James O’Donnell, physician-in-chief at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City.

The building will meet and exceed seismic standards, an improvement critical in the state of California, Jensen said.

Jensen also said she hopes the new building will be aesthetically pleasing as the building will be surrounded with native plants and beautiful landscaping.

“We are very lucky Kaiser chose, almost 50 years ago, Redwood City as their home,” said city councilmember Rosanne Foust.

Due to potential hazards many of the staff were not able to be at the actual ceremony, but many looked on from the top of a parking structure as the first shovels of dirt were lifted in celebration.

But while Kaiser welcomes new beginnings, they say a solemn farewell to a woman who has dedicated her work to the health of her community.

Jensen will be retiring from her position at Kaiser leaving 27 years of experience and service to the health of her community.

She was awarded with a plaque of recognition from assemblyman Rich Gordon while eyes in the audience became blurry with tears.

“It’s very heartwarming to know I’ll get to leave some legacy in Redwood City,” Jensen said.

An animated digital tour of the hospitals interior and exterior plans is available for the public to view at:

http://www.redwoodcity.org/phed/planning/Kaiser/index.html#video