Hospitals in California

Get to know California health facilities
By B. Lumadue There are many hospitals in California, and several of them rank among the best for specialty services. They range in size from small community hospitals to large teaching centers. Since several California health facilities rank among the best, California is a good place to be when you need a hospital.

It's helpful to be familiar with local medical facilities when you need to make a decision about medical care. Some ways to be informed about California hospitals in your area are:

1. Get to know the California medical centers that provide emergency and cardiac care.

2. Know what hospital to be transported to for a non-life threatening injury.

3. Find out about specialty care, surgery and therapy provided by hospitals in your area.

Get information about hospitals in CA

Begin your search for a hospital with a comparison of size and rank data for hospitals in your area.
Try:  Get information from the Joint Commission, an independent, non-profit organization that accredits hospitals and other health care organizations. MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, provides a database of hospitals. Find local veterans hospitals from the website of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Find trauma care at a California hospital

A trauma center provides emergency care for accidents and other traumas 24 hours per day. Trauma centers are ranked either level one or level two based on their facilities and equipment.
Try:  UCLA Medical Center is a CA medical center that is ranked among the top five in the nation by U.S. News and World Report and has a level one trauma center. Other high ranking hospitals are the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center and Stanford University Medical Center. Riverside Community Hospital and the Desert Regional Medical Center are level two trauma centers that are accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, a non-profit society focused on cardiac health.

Find a specialty California health clinic or CA medical center

Some hospitals are dedicated to a specific group or function, such as pediatric and rehabilitation hospitals. A pediatric hospital provides care for babies and children and particularly difficult cases. Rehabilitation hospitals help a patient recover physical, mental and sensory skills lost because of a disease or injury.
Try:  California is home to several high-ranking specialty care facilities. Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital are award-winning hospitals in the treatment of complex diseases in children. Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center has more than 20 Centers of Excellence in rehabilitation and research, including stroke, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's research and gerontology programs.

• When you enter a California health care facility, make sure your medical team is aware of your medical history, especially what medicines you take. Find out if you should take your medicine while in the hospital. Keep a list of medicines you take. When given medicine, make sure it's part of your regimen. If it isn't, find out why it's being administered.