Kaiser Permanente to Spend $1B on 10-Year Plan for Growth in the Central Valley
Kaiser Permanente has unveiled a $1 billion, 10-year plan to meet the health care needs of a "stead[il]y" growing population in the Central Valley, the Stockton Record reports. The plan calls for three new clinics, a new hospital and two hospital "revisions." Kaiser Permanente's membership in San Joaquin County -- considered a "red-hot spot" for growth -- has risen from 68,000 in 1996 to 113,000 in September 2001. Kaiser's enrollment in Stanislaus County has grown from 11,000 members to nearly 65,000 in the same time period. According to Dr. Robert Pearl, CEO of the Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente "plans to invest in building a complete network of clinics, hospitals and support services from Lodi to Fresno as the Central Valley burgeons with new residents." The recent increase in membership, according to Pearl, is "fueled" by an influx of Bay Area migrant workers "seeking affordable homes" (Spence, Stockton Record, 10/26).
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