Kaiser breaks ground on $37 million Lincoln medical center

Placer County residents battling traffic to see their Kaiser Permanente physicians in Roseville soon will have some relief. A new Kaiser medical facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2006. Groundbreaking for the $37 million medical office building was held Friday at the site near the intersection of Twelve Bridges Drive and Highway 65. "My ophthalmologist, Dr. Baker, said he's coming here," said Lincoln resident Anne Stuyvesant. Stuyvesant and her husband, Jack, were among several dozen Lincoln residents who attended the groundbreaking, which included a catered lunch and a five-piece mariachi band. The Stuyvesants, who have lived in Lincoln for 3½ years, currently have to drive to the Kaiser offices at Eureka Avenue and Riverside Drive in Roseville to see their physician. "And of course, we go to downtown (Sacramento), two or three different places," Jack Stuyvesant said.Having a Kaiser facility close to home is exciting, the Stuyvesants admitted. "She's got her favorite doctor," he said of his wife, "so she may still continue to see him. But, of course, we will be able to get our prescriptions here" instead of having to drive to Roseville. A pharmacy is just one of the services that will be offered at the Lincoln Kaiser medical center, which will be staffed by 32 physicians and 128 employees. Also offered will be adult medicine, women's health, ophthalmology, optometry, optical sales, pediatrics, radiology and lab services. "We are excited about bringing our high-quality health care services to our growing membership in Lincoln," said Ed Glavis, senior vice president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals for the Sacramento Valley area. Glavis noted about 40 percent of Lincoln residents are members of Kaiser Permanente. There are currently 10,500 Kaiser members in the city of Lincoln, and that number is expected to climb to more than 13,000 by 2010. "This is a rapidly growing region," Glavis said, pointing out there are more than 183,000 Kaiser members in Placer County and that number is expected to top 200,000 in a few short years. Not only will the facility serve residents of Placer County, it is also expected to serve an estimated 23,000 members who reside in neighboring communities, including Sheridan, Olivehurst, Penryn, Wheatland and Rocklin. Dr. Jeanne Conroy, assistant physician-in-chief at the Roseville facility, said she was excited about the proposed facility's aesthetics, which will include an outdoor water fountain and canopies to help maintain cooler temperatures on hot summer days. The two-story, 75,000-square-foot building, which will be located at 1900 Dresden Drive, will be constructed with environmental-friendly building materials, including carpeting and stone made partially from recycled materials. "My favorite thing of all, though, is the parking," Conroy said. She noted the parking lot will have spaces for 37 neighborhood electric vehicles. "In Lincoln, they are called golf carts," she said, drawing laughter from the crowd, which was comprised mostly of senior citizens. Lincoln Mayor Tom Cosgrove noted Lincoln offers many services to its residents, and in the past it has always been able to meet the needs of its people. "But we are a growing community with different needs," he said, adding that Kaiser will be able to help the city address those different needs. Kaiser already has been a good partner in the community, Cosgrove said, citing several programs it is involved in, including the Tour de Lincoln on May 7 and the Make-a-Difference volunteer day. "I can't wait to see what else they will get involved in when they get here," Cosgrove added. In addition to the groundbreaking ceremony, Glavis presented Nancy Stark from the Lincoln Community Foundation with a $10,000 check. "As a not-for-profit organization, we are proud to support programs and services that will contribute to the overall health and quality of life in the community," he said of presenting the check. "This demonstrates (Kaiser's) commitment to the community," Stark said after the groundbreaking. She noted the endowment fund currently has $250,000. "Our goal is $1 million," Stark said, "and this is a big step toward that goal." While the focus of the event was on the Lincoln facility, Glavis told the audience that Kaiser is moving ahead with other projects in Placer County to meet the needs of the growing membership in the county. Among those projects at the Eureka Road facility in Roseville are a 1,600-vehicle parking structure, which is expected to be completed in December; and a 174-bed women's and children's center with labor and delivery services that is scheduled to open in late 2007. Also planned at the Roseville Medical Center on Eureka is the expansion of the emergency room and radiology services, which will be completed in early 2008. The emergency room will increase from 20 bays to 68, making it the largest ER in the region. In addition, Kaiser plans to open a 15,000-square foot radiation oncology center in Roseville off Gibson Drive north of East Roseville Parkways this summer. "We are aggressively planning for future inpatient and outpatient medical needs for our members in this region," said Dr. Edward Green, physician-in-chief at the Roseville Medical Center. Michelle Johnson, director of staff at Lincoln Manor, said the Lincoln Kaiser facility would be a welcome addition to the community. "It's exciting," she said, "especially with regards to rehab. If we can't meet the rehab needs of our residents, they will be able to get them at the Kaiser medical center in Lincoln." Richard Myers can be reached at richardm@goldcountrymedia.com.