Can you recommend Kaiser Richmond pediatrician
New to the East Bay (Albany) and new to Kaiser. We will be going to be Richmond location. Baby is just 11 months old and has already seen 4 pediatricians in his little life. Looking for an AP and breast feeding friendly, bed sharing and delayed vaccine tolerant pediatrician. Does this magical unicorn exist? Thanks in advance!
Mar 28, 2017
Parent Replies
Dr. Sharon Henry has been our pediatrician since we joined KP about 6 years ago. I wish I could have her as my doc. She's sweet so kids love her. Never talks down. Smart and responsive.
If it would work to drive a little further, please don't rule out Pinole Kaiser. Their department of family doctors includes a number of DO's as well as MD's, both have full medical degrees, plenty of MDs are great, but I have found DO's to be more amenable to ALL the things you mentioned. We have a DO who supports parental decisions about vaccinations, you can message me for the name because I don't think anyone wants to advertise seemingly controversial stances out of context. Pinole Kaiser is also smaller, very calm, really easy parking (though Richmond has much better parking than Oakland) and you can still use Richmond for emergencies or anything else that's not at Pinole.
Our son is 3 months old and has been receiving care from Dr. Ferrazares at Richmond Kaiser. He came on recommendation from my OB/GYN, who has had an adolescent son in the care of Dr. Ferrazares for years. So far, he has been really kind and very supportive of breastfeeding. There are a few LCNs on site in the Pediatrics department that he can set you up with for further consultation, which I needed in the first month. This past month I've been struggling to build up my back-to-work breast milk supply and emailed the doctor to see if I could get my hospital grade breast pump rental renewed for an extra month--he took care of it the same day and gave me 2 extra months. We didn't delay any of the vaccines at the 2 month visit, so I'm not sure whether he (or any of the other Kaiser doctors) would push-back against that. I can say that I've been pleasantly surprised with Kaiser's overall message during prenatal care--they are very supportive of things like skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and respecting a family's birth plan. The labor & delivery class we took included a reminder to decide whether to vaccinate our child with a warning that public schools will require them. So, I'm assuming they'd be open to your chosen vax schedule.
Good Luck & Welcome to the East Bay!
We live in El Cerrito, and go to Kaiser Pinole for our regular pediatrician stuff. I recommend Dr Mahar there but we've also seen Dr Leo and liked him too. Pinole is much smaller, easier to park, shorter pharmacy lines, etc. You just have to be aware of not booking an appointment there in later afternoon or face rush hour traffic. Same thing to Richmond, really, plus there can be a morning rush hour on 580 toward Richmond when the Richmond Bridge backs up. Welcome to East Bay traffic patterns! :P
Hi, were new to the neighborhood too and just took our LO to Dr. Nick Huynh. He's in Walnut Creek but respected our choices. Very close to great shopping, so you could make it a fun day!
Dr. Karen Kruger is a very caring, understanding and non judgmental pediatrician. We've experienced a few others when she was out of town or booked but none compare to her. We've had her for the past 14 years and she has been very supportive of our breastfeeding/vaccination/co sleeping choices from the beginning. She is very open minded and will discuss pros and cons, timelines, and so much more. She is also very loving toward the kids and makes the whole experience of being at the hospital so calming for them. We live in Pinole but continue to drive to Richmond to see her.
We also loved Karen Kruger but she is moving to pediatric intensive care at KP Oakland. We switched to Dr. Cohen (Stephen?) who we had once for urgent care and thought was excellent. (Kind, gentle, thoughtful.)