Sutter Health Medical Offices in North Santa Rosa Opens after Fire
In the first weeks of October, the Tubbs Fire raged through the Coffey Park neighborhood destroying nearby K-Mart and numerous businesses along Hwy 101. Flames and high heat scorched Kohl's Department Store and destroyed Chloé’s French Café located on the north side of Sutter Health's Largest Medical Office Building in Sonoma County. But the building survived even though nearly 300 widows blew out and smoke and heat damage closed the center for nearly two months.
On December 5th, Sutter Health welcomed patients into their thoroughly refurbished building at 3883 Airway Drive in Santa Rosa. Not all offices are open yet, with some not opening until January 2108, but they are back in business. Family Medicine is the only service not anticipated to return to 3883 Airway Drive.
The Tubbs Fire shut down every Sutter Health facility in Sonoma County, forcing evacuations of patients and staff under extreme circumstances. Two weeks after wildfires raced through the community all but theSutter North Bay Health Plaza had reopened. Badly damaged by fire and smoke, the Plaza required extensive cleaning, re-stocking, testing, inspections and certification by the City of Santa Rosa before physicians could resume seeing patients at this site.
“The Plaza is where our community comes for care” said Toni Brayer M.D. CEO of SPMF. “We serve every age group and provide everything from preventative care to chronic disease management and rehabilitation. Before the fire we saw an average of 735 patients a day at the Plaza so returning to full capacity is a critical step in helping our patients – who are our neighbors – get back to good health. I am relieved that we can return to this building which is familiar to patients and staff and essential to the community.”
Phased Reopening
The first departments in the Plaza to reopen included Urgent Care and Advanced Imaging – which saw patients on Wednesday, November 29, 2017. On Friday, December 1, 2017 the Rheumatology and Physical Therapy departments were reopened.
The next milestone will occur on Tuesday, December 5, 2017 when outpatient appointments for Lab Services, Endocrinology, Dermatology, Neurology, and Oncology will once again be available at the Plaza. Patients can call their regular clinic phone numbers for information about scheduling and new patient appointment availability. Online scheduling will be reinstated in mid-December. Finally, Podiatry, Orthopedics and Breast Cancer Services will reopen in January 2018.
Each of the suites in the Plaza has been stocked with new supplies and passed air quality, safety, and equipment checks to ensure the building is safe for patients and staff. All windows and ceiling tiles have been replaced, furniture and carpets have been cleaned or replaced as needed, and all heating ventilation and air conditioning ducts have been cleaned and new filters installed.
Stronger and More Connected
Over the course of 63 days the entire SPMF team banded together to serve the Santa Rosa community through the worst fire disaster in California’s history. “Through this intense work we built relationships we didn’t have before and I think we’re stronger as an organization,” said Dr. Brayer. “I’ve heard this sentiment echoed by our doctors who say: I’ve never worked with Dr. X before, I’ve only seen her at meetings, and now we’re working in the same office and we kind of like it.”
“SPMF is proud to resume health care services after the devastating fire that rocked the Sonoma infrastructure” Neal said. “We are your neighbors, your friends and family and we remain here to serve the healthcare needs of our community.”
“190,000 patients a year have relied on this facility pre-fire and we wantthem to know that we are ready to safeguard their health once again!”~ Emma Dugas, Communications Coordinator
Sutter North Bay Health Plaza and Urgent Care 3883 Airway Dr, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 521-4495
