Our community emergency room is open to all

The community emergency room at the Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center is open to all, including those who have Medi-Cal, other health insurance, or who don't have insurance. About 20 percent of our 63,000 annual emergency patients currently are non-Kaiser Permanente members and many are covered by Medi-Cal. Bernice Johnson, a resident of South Sacramento, went to the South Sacramento Medical Center to save her life after she was shot in a home invasion. Her story exemplifies the advanced life-saving care that Kaiser Permanente already offers the community and illustrates why Kaiser Permanente is the best suited for an Adult Level II Trauma Center.

Bernice Johnson and David Kissinger, MD, Trauma Medical Director,
Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center

Bernice Johnson's story

"I was so scared. I was shot in a home invasion. My son found me and drove me to the hospital. He said, 'I'm taking you to the best hospital, Mom.' I live in South Sacramento and am on Medi-Cal, and he knew I didn't have time to get all the way to downtown Sacramento. But Kaiser's emergency room is nearby, and it's open to everyone who needs it."

"Dr. Kissinger and the rest of the emergency team were fantastic. During a two-hour operation, they brought me back. I really do believe they saved my life. And since then, the doctors and staff at Kaiser provided the best follow-up care possible.

"I'm not even a Kaiser member, but they treated me like family. The south area needs a trauma center, and it needs to be at Kaiser Permanente."