New Kaiser facility in Salinas set to open January
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) - Kaiser Permanente's new medical offices are near completion, which will soon offer patients a range of healthcare services for the first time in Monterey County.
Final touches on the new facility are needed before opening its doors to patients.
"This has been in the works for several years. You know, there is a lot of negotiation, from that to leadership and putting it together. But the facility has been worked on for about. Two years or so with ground breaking earlier in the year to make it happen," said Dr. Sergio Gonzalez, Chief of the medical officers in Salinas for Kaiser Permanente
Doctor Gonzales says it's important to make this space feel like home for the community.
"As a Latino male, which we're short in the community, 5% of the physicians and docs community or in the state of the country are Latino. So to have a female physician cater to a largely Latino population, I think is something that needs to be done," said Gonzalez.
Before Kaiser set foot in Monterey County, patients had to travel out of the county.
"Many patients love the Kaiser model because they like the integrated care. Previous to this Watsonville-Gilroy [location], the closest before was San Jose. So now the drives are getting much shorter," said Gonzalez.
The 24-hundred-square-foot building will have over 70 care providers. Medical services provided here include primary and specialty care, pediatrics, ob/gyn, mental health care and more.
