HEALTH & WELLNESS
Kaiser Permanente baldwin park
medical center
anchors robust health and wellness options in the san gabriel valley
For more than 25 years, Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center has served as a cornerstone of healthcare in the San Gabriel Valley, earning a reputation for innovative care practices and community engagement.
Serving nearly 300,000 members, the center offers a comprehensive range of specialty services, including cardiac care, orthopedic surgery, stroke care, labor and delivery, orthopedic surgery, vascular surgery, interventional radiology and much more. The center features 272 hospital beds, including 187 adult care beds, a 12-bed adult intensive care unit, a 20-bed neonatal intensive care unit and 53 perinatal care beds. Additionally, there are 12 labor and delivery suites and 38 emergency department beds.
“Our commitment to exceptional patient care extends beyond our medical center’s walls,” said Eugene Cho, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center. “We believe in total health, which is why we also provide a range of health and wellness classes, host weekly farmers markets and foster meaningful partnerships within our community.”
A standout feature of Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park is its commitment to providing care in patients’ preferred languages. The Language Concordance Program matches patients with limited English proficiency to physicians fluent in their language, supported by 890 designated qualified bilingual staff who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Patients also have access to more than 150 languages through interpreter services. It’s one reflection of Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to excellent service in the community.
Those efforts have not gone unnoticed, as accolades continue to stack up for the Baldwin Park Medical Center. The center was recently named in the U.S. News & World Report’s list of 2024 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. The American Heart Association awarded the center its Get With the Guidelines Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure. And in 2023, the center received the Magnet Designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, joining only 9 percent of hospitals in the United States with this distinction.
“We’re proud to bring these leading practices to the San Gabriel Valley, fostering a healthier community where our growth reflects the trust placed in us,” said Vu Nguyen, MD, area medical director, Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center.”
EDUCATION/WORKFORCE
SCHOOLS
provide higher education options for san gabriel Valley residents
By Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller
A desire for life-long learning and the desire to pursue higher education can be found within the San Gabriel region.
One school, Mt. San Antonio College is the largest single campus community college district of California’s 116 community colleges.
Located in Walnut, more than 70,000 students annually pass through Mt. SAC’s classrooms. The school serves residents of 20 communities, from Diamond Bar to Hacienda Heights, at its campus and online.
“We are the largest community college in the state,” explained Jill Dolan, Mt. Sac director of public affairs. “We have university-level facilities at a fraction of the cost. A majority of our students receive financial aid, making attending Mt. SAC an affordable and smart choice.”
The school, which began in 1946, has provided students from a plethora of backgrounds with a full-range of credit and non-credit programs. The ultimate goal, for school officials, is to help students succeed in new careers, gain admission into top-tier universities, or advance in their current line of work.
With more than 400 degrees and certificate programs, as well as programs for children and older adults, Mt. SAC helps educate everyone regardless of age.
“There is no typical Mt. SAC student,” Dolan said. “We like to say that we take the top 100.
“Through our dual enrollment programs, high school students are able to earn college credits while getting their high school diplomas. We also offer programs to older adults, as they continue their lifelong learning.”
Among the offerings are nine bachelor’s degrees made available through partnerships with universities across the state. Dolan said a bachelor’s degree in Histotechnology will soon be added to the course catalog.
“This year, we were named #1 by EdSmart,” Dolan said. “We were also in the Top 50 for the Aspen Prize, the ‘Oscars of Community Colleges.’”
For more information, visit www.mtsac.edu.
The College of Professional and Global Education (CPGE), one of nine colleges at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, is a college that caters to non-traditional students looking to expand their skills and advance their careers within the San Gabriel region.
Teresa (Terrie) Taylor, Director of Business Operations for CPGE, said thanks to the school’s offerings ranging from master’s degrees to certificate programs, as well as international programs to specific courses to get additional career training, CPGE reached more than 7,435 students during the 2022-23 school year.
“Examples of our popular career and professional development online programs include IT boot camp training courses, which prepare students for in-demand, high-paying jobs in the growing field of IT, and certificate programs in fields such as allied health, medical billing, utility planning, construction management, and more,” Taylor said, adding courses are available both in-person
and online.
In the next few years, Taylor said the school plans to introduce new master’s degrees and professional development programs based on industry demand. Other initiatives include expanding services to offer specialized or customized professional training for organizations, as well as continuing expansion of the global programs and partnerships.
A member of the Regional Chamber of Commerce - San Gabriel Valley, Taylor said the CPGE joined the Chamber in order to connect to the community as an education gateway through its various courses, degrees and custom programing.
“Becoming a Chamber member is an important step for us to also learn more about the community we serve and our fellow business partners and their needs,” Taylor said. “We look forward to connecting with the community and all of our valued partners in the years ahead.”
In 2024, CPGE earned the Favorite College Extension Program within the San Gabriel Valley thanks to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. It was also voted Best College Extension program in all of the Inland Empire by readers of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
Those interested in CPGE programs and offerings may
visit www.cpp.edu/cpge.
