Community

OP-ED: Who killed Doctor’s Medical Center?

Published

11 years ago

April 11, 2015

By Jovanka Beckles

A quarter of a million people in Richmond and West Contra Costa County, a majority people of color community, will be without a community hospital as a result of a recent decision to phase down and finally close the doors of Doctors Medical Center (DMC) in San Pablo by April 21.

To not provide a full service hospital in West Contra Costa County is an example of environmental and institutional racism as experienced by predominantly poor people of color.

In large part due to the location of Chevron and other industries, West Contra Costa County has higher rates of cancer and asthma. These industries also pose a regular risk of explosion and release of dangerous chemicals.

There should be a hospital nearby in case of an industrial accident, but the largest and most profitable industry, the Chevron Corp., refused to contribute to keep DMC open.

The remaining hospital in the area, Kaiser Richmond, does not serve indigent patients, has an emergency room too small to handle the volume of the area, and does not have the capability to handle strokes and heart attacks.

The DMC emergency room closed to emergency services months ago. For most of the residents of Richmond, San Pablo and surrounding areas, emergency care is between 15 and 20 miles away over clogged freeways.

Already it appears that two or three people have died because they could not receive emergency care quickly enough.

But it’s not just an issue of emergency care. A community needs a hospital just as it needs its parks, police, libraries, schools and public transit.

When people require treatment in a hospital, it is important that their parents, children and other members of the family and friends be able to visit.

It is simply part of good medical care. People who need regular treatments, whether it’s for cancer or kidney problems, need a hospital that is convenient.

The long travel distances to a hospital place an extra burden on poor people.

There is very little chance that last-ditch efforts will save the hospital. One can only hope.

So who killed DMC?

First is our broken health care system. The problem with DMC was not how it was run. Whatever problems its management had, it provided service at lower cost than surrounding hospitals.

The problem was “its patient mix” – DMC treated “too many” low income or indigent patients.

The problem with DMC was not how it was run. Whatever problems its management had, it provided service at lower cost than surrounding hospitals. The problem was “its patient mix” – DMC treated “too many” low income or indigent patients.

Payments from Medicare and Medical were too low to cover costs. DMC lost money on every one of these patients.

Simply put, DMC failed because it provided medical care to people who are already underserved. As a result, DMC had to be subsidized.

The county refused to do it. The state government refused to reclassify DMC so it could receive a special subsidy for caring for “target” patients, and came up with a paltry $3 million.

Obamacare meant the hospital would benefit community members, but provide more services at a loss to DMC.

Many community members tried to save Doctor’s Medical Center. As a result of pressure from the community, the Richmond Progressive Alliance and the California Nurses Association, the Richmond City Council was pressured to allocate $15 million to support DMC.

Unfortunately, government leaders from other parts of the area turned their heads.

San Pablo contributed nothing more than to broker a deal to transfer land to the local casino. Neighboring cities Hercules, Pinole and El Cerrito were silent.

A majority of the county supervisors based in the East County would not help.

The Contra Costa Times ran a campaign for the closing.

Other hospitals in the region should have contributed. While they are called “non-profit,” Kaiser, Sutter and other hospitals are enormously profitable and have ways to transfer money to management.

They save a lot of money because of their “non-profit” status.

The existence of DMC actually saves them money by absorbing some of the indigent population they would otherwise have to treat. Yet they refused to join in the plan to keep DMC open.

There are a lot of institutions and individuals to blame for closing DMC, but in the end the main problem was that there were not enough political leaders willing to organize a campaign to force these institutions to save DMC.

This scenario is a case of classic institutional racism. Areas where people of color live are underserved supposedly not because of race, but because we are not wealthy and powerful

In the end the main problem was that there were not enough political leaders willing to organize a campaign to force these institutions to save DMC. This scenario is a case of classic institutional racism.

We have to figure out as a community how to get the medical care we need, we deserve and is our right.

Jovanka Beckles is a member of the Richmond City Council.

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Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

8 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

10 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.