CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: Pinole ER Nears Final Days

      The emergency department at Doctors Medical Center in Pinole will close April 3, according to a final plan approved by parent company Tenet Healthcare Corp., the Contra Costa Times reports. All ambulances, elective and medical surgeries and in-patient care will be redirected to San Pablo hospital, which is merging with the Pinole facility. To "address some of the concerns of the community," officials say they will open an urgent care clinic in place of the ED. The clinic will offer 24-hour services through April 13 and thereafter will operate from noon to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. The consolidation, which has received verbal approval from the state DHS but is awaiting needed paperwork, will result in a loss of 21 intensive care beds. Although officials plan to replace the spots by expanding San Pablo's main IC unit, the project will not be complete for at least 16 months (2/18).