Just in time to visit

This tranquil setting was disturbed yesterday by an individual that thought he wasn't waited on fast enough at a Kaiser outpatient clinic. You can read about the incident here. This park-like setting is mostly used by the Kaiser staff to relax or walk and by visitors while they're waiting for things to happen inside.

My timing was impeccable yesterday. I entered as the last person they let into the hospital before it was on lockdown. I came to visit a friend that is a patient in the main hospital. When I got to his floor, I had to be escorted through locked doors to get to his room. Once there, we were told not to leave the room until the "all clear" was given.

So Richard and I talked for 30 minutes. His wife and children called to see if he was alright. Then his mom called to make sure he was alright. After an hour of all that talking plus his medication, he fell asleep. So, for the next hour and a half I read, watched the construction out the window, and waited for the "all clear." A little after 2:30, a staff member announced that the Downey Police had given the "all clear" and we could leave. When I and others got down to the main floor, the manager in charge of the main door hadn't been told of the "all clear" and she wasn't letting us out. That lasted about one minute. A large crowd was coming from outside to get back to work and visit patients and they had gotten the "all clear." I went home and had some lunch.

Digging holes

In the back of the Kaiser Permanente Hospital, there is a lot of construction going on. They have torn up the parking lot. This machine is drilling very deep holes. This new tower expansion will add 96 beds along with updated technology to the campus, according to the Downey Patriot.



As you can see from the picture above, they have long cylinders of rebar ready to drop down the holes and then fill the holes with cement.

Lilies of the field

Construction has been going on at PIH Health Hospital since 2016 when ground was broken on a major expansion of the emergency department. Progress is being made, and there's a lot less scaffolding visible these days.

But what really catches my eye when I drive past (aside from the missing letter in the sign that makes me think for a moment that I am back at the River Rance in France) is the awesome field of golden lilies out front. Especially in the glow of the late afternoon sun.

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say to you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
~ Matthew 6:28-29

Hospital history

Going to the hospital is never fun, but one benefit of going to PIH in Downey is the opportunity to view the historical pictures of Downey that line the halls. I think this picture of the original Downey Community Hospital, located on 5th Street, is especially interesting, since it is both the predecessor of PIH and the hospital where I was born.

Not one of the crowd

I took this picture while in the admission office at PIH Health Hospital here in Downey. Notice anything that doesn't fit the norm? Sometimes I feel like that blue chair. Not like the others. Not fitting in with the crowd. Or maybe I'm unique in a good way?

How do you think you fit in?

“How can I expect readers to know who I am if I do not tell them about my family, my friends, the relationships in my life? Who am I if not where I fit in the world, where I fit in the lives of the people dear to me?”
~ Rabih Alameddine, I, The Divine: A Novel in First Chapters

Humans of Downey - Mohamad

"I came here from Syria 25 years ago. I went back to Syria for a few years, but when I got back to America, I wanted to know how could I make lots of money here.

"At one point I was a taxi driver in Los Angeles. A rider pulled a gun and demanded all my money. I showed him I only had a few dollars but he said cabbies always had lots of money. When I couldn't give him any more money he shot me, seven times. Then he drove me to Kaiser hospital in Beverly Hills. I was there for two months. Because someone shot me, I didn't have to pay anything for my stay."
~ Mohamad

Lonely at night

Back to the PIH medical office building for one last visit, this time at night.

At night, the color is gone. (See Shades of Greece in Downey?) Although nicely lit up, the effect is more lonely than welcoming.

Surrounded by geometry

Continuing with the PIH medical office building...

In addition to the colors (see Shades of Greece in Downey), I'm also attracted to the geometric designs that make up the office building.

The diagonals created by the stairs and the shadows, along with the window squares, create a fun pattern.

And above the main entrance, the brushed metallic finish is broken up by a single line of window squares, kind of like a futuristic pair of wrap-around sunglasses.

The Garden of Dreams

Along the corridor that runs from Nelson NICU at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego (where my grandson was staying) was an open area called the Garden of Dreams. It is a beautiful place, intended to offer families a place to go to have a little chance to escape and take their minds off their medical care.

To quote the Children's Hospital website:  The concept of this garden is rooted in our commitment to consistently nourish the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of children, their families and our staff through our healing environment. Our wish is that when visitors leave the garden, they will feel strengthened and renewed.

The path through the garden meanders under huge sailcloth butterflies flying overhead where bugs of all colors and sizes can be found.

The garden is a place of refuge. The theme of nature and art is intended to bring a peaceful feeling to all those who center.

"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" 
~ Robert Kennedy

Shades of Greece in Downey?

The bright white walls and contrasting blue windows of the PIH medical office building remind me (OK, I know it's a stretch) of the pictures I've seen of the Greek islands. (See this example.)

I notice this every time I drive by, so I finally decided to stop for some pictures.

The "writing" is on the wall

I'm back in San Diego visiting my grandson who was born 6 weeks early about three weeks ago. He is in Rady Children's Hospital. A couple of days ago I met Wendy. She was working on a mural for the wall you see as you enter the Nelson NICU ward.

One of the things I find so impressive about Children's Hospital is how much effort they place on making the buildings (and therefore the experience) welcoming and beautiful. There is a variety of art on the walls, from quilts to pictures to interactive children's activities to murals. It is one of the things that makes their hospitals unique.

"Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder." 
~ E. B. White

The lighted way

Rady's Children's Hospital, San Diego. It is night and we are ready to head home. As we walk across the walkway to the parking garage, the way is lighted by a series of lights mounted along the walkway and glowing into the night. We have had a long day at the hospital visiting my new grandson. We are all tired and ready to rest.

Miracles

The miracle of life and the miracle of science combine to give this mom her first touch with her newborn son, born six weeks early.

Visiting the sick part II

Yesterday I showed you Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Downey. Today, I'll show you the other hospital in Downey, Downey Regional Medical Center. It is located on Brookshire Avenue and dates back to 1920. Recently, this hospital was bought by PIH Health that operates Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier.

This wing of the hospital is important to me since it is where my first grandchild was born.

"The very first requirement of a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm."
~ Florence Nightingale

Visiting the sick

Tonight, I visited a friend here at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Downey. It is located on Imperial Hwy and is situated on part of the old Boeing land donated to the city.

Kaiser is one of two hospitals serving Downey and the surrounding communities. It is known for its unique architectural style.

Encourage one another

Just 20 miles southwest of Downey you'll find the University of California Irvine Medical Center in the city of Orange. Recently some of us went there to gather and encourage a very special lady.

Katlyn Dobrow has been in UCI medical center since February 12 because of her battle with meningococcemia, a deadly strain of meningitis. You can read about her battle here and here.

On this day we were there to encourage her mom, Kathi who has been staying at the hospital in Katlyn's room since she was first admitted. Kathi only leaves to go home for showers. We gathered to sing worship songs of encouragement while she and her husband Don enjoyed a catered meal.

It was another reminder that living in Downey, a suburb of Los Angeles, we are surrounded by the world's best medical care facilities.

Noche de Ninos

You know it is going to be a great evening when you get to have dinner with Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, and Heidi Klum, along with some of your closest friends. Last night was an enchanted evening, set in a forest scene on the event deck at LA LIVE. It was Children's Hospital Los Angeles Gala "Noche de Ninos." The event was hosted by Tom Bergeron (of Dancing with the Stars and America's Funniest Home Videos fame). At one point, the room was having a hard time quieting down, so the ladies got up on stage to give Tom a hand!

Our group was honored to be seated with Melanie, Antonio, and Heidi. At the table next to us was Melanie's great friend, Jamie Lee Curtis (who sits on the Board of Trustees for the hospital). Melanie was so friendly and gracious. She made a point of greeting everyone at our table, introducing herself and chatting with us for several minutes.

As the evening progressed, some of the conversations moved into politics. It was fun to watch the lively interaction between Berto and Antonio.

During the gala, CHLA presented the 2012 Courage to Care awards to The Walt Disney Company, Heidi Klum and Pau Gasol. (Pau is a professional basketball player for the Lakers)

The evening was magical, with great food and wine provided by Wolfgang Puck. We had a great time and can't wait until next year's event!

Character counts!

Six streets in Downey have been renamed for the six traits of the Character Counts initiative: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Some thought has been put into the locations of these street names. Caring Way is located next to Kaiser Permanente Hospital and Respect Road is next to the administrative center for the Downey Unified School District.

These road signs are in addition to the traits that have appeared on the walls of Griffiths Middle School for quite a few years now.

In case of emergency

Downey Regional Medical Center (formerly Downey Hospital) opened its doors in October of 1920 with six beds and two physicians on staff. Located on a dirt road that is now Downey Avenue, the hospital occupied the second floor of the former Downey Hotel. A year later, under new management the hospital's name was changed to Virginia Hospital. Less than two years after opening, a violent explosion occurred at a popular service station injuring over 20 people and causing nine fatalities. This disaster substantiated the need for a larger hospital.

Consequently, in 1924 Virginia Hospital relocated to 5th Street, expanded to 15 beds and became Downey Community Hospital. During the next two decades, the staff and facility grew to meet the demands of the booming population. Recognizing the need for emergency services as auto accidents became more prevalent, DRMC decided to open a 24-hour a day/seven-day a week emergency department across the street from the hospital.

As one of the few rural hospitals in southern California, DRMC soon outgrew the 5th street location. Subsequently, plans were passed to start construction of a new private, non-profit hospital in 1964.

Five years later DRMC moved from its 49-bed facility to its current facility on Brookshire Avenue, which was then licensed for 152 beds. The day after opening, eight surgeries were performed. Within one week, the hospital was full.

Information courtesy of the drmc website

This is a restricted area!

So, I learned this weekend that "no trespassing" applies, even if the gate is open (which really feels like an invitation to explore). I have felt drawn to Rancho since discovering it a mere few weeks ago. I went back this past weekend, just to check it out. When I came back to my car, I was greeted by a police officer (who pulled up just as I was getting to my car). Unfortunately, I cannot remember his name, but he was really nice and very informative about the history of Rancho. We chatted for several minutes and he was able to fill in some of the details about Rancho for me. . . like the train depot where they loaded the produce grown at Rancho for the County Hospital. Very interesting! By the way, I didn't get a ticket.