KAISER PERMANENTE: Grants Reprieve To Oakland Hospital

      Kaiser Permanente has decided to hold off on the planned closure of its 300-bed Oakland hospital, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The hospital had been scheduled to be shuttered next month, but Kaiser officials have decided to keep the adult inpatient and ER services open until the end of the year while the HMO "mulls what to do with the aging facility." Although the 50-something-year-old hospital would require extensive renovations to bring it into compliance with earthquake codes, plans to close the facility had sparked protest from the community and the California Nurses Association. Kaiser spokesperson Lila Petersen said, "We've had concerns from community, staff members and physicians, and we want to make sure we do the right thing." In January, the Chronicle notes, Kaiser "bowed to public and political pressure" and reversed a decision to close its Richmond hospital (Abate, 5/26).