Health And Wellness

You've heard the expression: the most important thing is your health. In most places this phrase is quoted at you when you've just suffered some sort of setback to remind you that at least you're healthy, but in Oakland it means that home health services and medical care are major players in the city's economy. Oakland, California is a great community that offers excellent health care services and has many recreational facilities to offer home or condos owners who want to keep fit. Just take a look at this list of health related infrastructure and companies based in Oakland.

Health Insurance

As you may or may not be aware, the United States does not offer its citizens nationalized health insurance. You may have encountered this while traveling over the border for laser hair removal, but if you haven't, you should be aware. If you're planning on living in the United States it's important that you check with your employer to make sure that group health insurance is one of the benefits they offer their employees. If it is not, you will be responsible for buying health insurance for yourself and your family. Not doing so could result in hefty medical bills draining your finances if you or a family member were to fall ill.

Oakland is famous for being the site of the founding of one of the nation's first managed care organizations which pairs health insurance with hospitals that cater specifically to their plan members. Kaiser Permanente, as this company is known, was originally formed by Henry Kaiser and Sidney Garfield to provide medical care to the workers at Kaiser Shipyards in 1942. The business model they invented became known as an HMO and has since become the basis of care for companies all over the country from offices to water treatment chemical suppliers.

Hospitals and Medical Centers

The Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is Oakland's largest private not-for-profit hospital. It has several campuses spread throughout the city and was formed from merging three separate hospitals. Summit Campus is the best in the city for cardiovascular, orthopedic, and geriatric medicine while the Alta Bates Campus is known for its work in obstetrics and in Vitro fertilization. The Children's Hospital of Oakland is a separate institution and the only one in the area with pediatric trauma capabilities. For those without insurance, the county runs the Alameda County Medical Center. Medical students often visit these facilities to learn about xray shielding and trauma care.

Parks and Recreation

In the medical world, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This means instead of waiting around for your obesity to require medical attention you should get off the couch and sign up for an international hockey school or even a yoga class at the local rec center. Why not bike, walk, or horseback ride in Joaquin Miller Park, jog around Lake Merritt, swim some laps at your neighborhood pool, or do a round of golf at Anthony Chabot Regional Park?