By Carolyn Crist Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its more aggressive form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, have become the fastest-growing reasons for liver transplants in young Americans, according to a recent study. Typically, older adults experience the slow progression of fatty liver disease that is not related to alcohol but can lead ultimately to liver cirrhosis. [...]
Originally published in Oakland Magazine. By Andrea A. Firth October 16, 2017 Highland Hospital ER is seizing the moment with opioid addiction treatment. A homeless man estranged from his family and infant son. A well-groomed middle-aged businessman. A young woman and her partner. A man in his 20s, also homeless. And all addicted to [...]
Allen Barron scrunches up his tiny face and wails as his mother gently tips him backward onto the lap of Jean Calvo, a pediatric dental resident at the University of California-San Francisco. Allen’s crying may be distressing, but his wide-open mouth allows Calvo to begin the exam. She counts his baby teeth and checks [...]
On a busy day in the adult medicine clinic at Highland Hospital, the safety-net hospital for Alameda County, patients keep clinicians on their toes as we navigate strategies to meet complex medical and social needs. With an already booked afternoon clinic, I was paired with Laura, a high school student originally from Guatemala through [...]
An award-winning documentary filmed in the Highland Hospital Intensive Care Unit has been nominated for two Documentary Emmys: Best Short Documentary and Best Editing in a Documentary. “Extremis” debuted in September on Netflix as the streaming service’s first short-form documentary. It follows the award-winning 2012 documentary “The Waiting Room,” also filmed at Highland. The [...]
Originally published in San Francisco Chronicle. By Catherine Ho July 8, 2017 Hawkins was taken to a hospital in an ambulance after a severe pulmonary episode left him unable to breathe. He was then admitted to Park Bridge, a long-term nursing facility in Alameda, where he has been living ever since. There, nurses [...]
Originally published in National Public Radio. By Terry Gross August 9, 2017 Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter, author of Extreme Measures, discusses the ethics of using medical assistance to hasten death. Zitter is the subject of the Netflix documentary Extremis. Transcript TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. My guest is a critical care [...]
Cinco de Mayo, the celebration of Mexican-American culture, reminded us that as a community, Alameda County embraces many cultures and draws strength from the diversity of our immigrants —whether newly arrived or longtime residents.  Read more.
Mitch and Venus, two recent additions to Highland Hospital’s cleaning crew, could show Rosie, the robot housekeeper in the 1960s cartoon series “The Jetsons,” a thing or two.  Read more.
Originally published in Alameda Magazine. By Andrea A. Firth May 10, 2017 Alameda’s community paramedics reduce readmission rates and frequent 911 users. Patrick Corder, a firefighter and paramedic with the Alameda Fire Department and Emergency Services, doesn’t wait for people to call 911. He calls them first. On a typical Monday morning in [...]
