News & Events

Most of the time, you can use an easy and reliable no-cost home antigen test for your COVID-19 testing needs. Not sure which COVID-19 test is right for you? See our guidelines on choosing the right COVID-19 test.

PCR tests are used when directed by your doctor or when you’re required to show a negative PCR test for international travel or in circumstances where self-tests are not an option, such as to prove a negative COVID-19 test. Please check testing requirements prior to choosing a testing option.

You can now get a rapid PCR test with results in 24 hours or less at our convenient Northern California Kaiser Permanente testing locations. To get your test, start with an E-visit.

We have updated the visitation guidance for hospital and ambulatory settings based on the most recent public health order by the CDPH to include the key changes below:

Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center allows patients to have visitors:

• Only 1 visitor at a time in the Emergency Department, due to space constraints. And up to 2 visitors for pediatric, end of life, laboring patients and those with physical, intellectual, cognitive impairments, and/or developmental disabilities.
• Only 2 visitors at a time in hospital patient rooms, due to space constraints
• Please do not enter our buildings if you are a visitor with sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, headache, fever, or have been exposed to or tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days. Special permission with masking may be granted by the care team in circumstances such as end of life.

Visitors are no longer required to show proof of vaccination or of negative COVID-19 test result to visit their family or friends in the hospital.

Effective April 3, 2023, per updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health, masks are no longer required at Kaiser Permanente facilities, except where mandated by governmental and regulatory agencies or our local infection prevention experts. Patients and visitors should check themselves for common COVID-19 symptoms prior to entering our facilities and can continue to request and voluntarily use masks as a recommended tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory-like illnesses. 

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Since its official launch in 2012, Kaiser Permanente Redwood City and South San Francisco Medical Centers’ Patient Advisory Council (PAC) has grown from an idea to a highly active group of members who help make a difference in the patient experience for all Kaiser Permanente members and their families. Currently, the PAC has 17 Patient Partners. We are excited to expand the program so we can make an even greater impact.  The goal for our PAC is to represent the diversity of the communities we serve in San Mateo County.

Our PAC plays an important role by sharing the experiences and insights of our members to help shape our programs. In addition to monthly PAC meetings, Patient Partners also have opportunities to participate in medical center committees, focus groups, and a wide variety of projects with Kaiser Permanente staff and physicians. Read the full article and apply to volunteer on the PAC.

If you’ve received an unsolicited phone call from a number that looks like it’s coming from Kaiser Permanente but seems very different from other Kaiser Permanente calls or communication, you may have been the recipient of caller ID spoofing.

We are aware that some of our members have recently received phone calls from numbers with a fake Kaiser Permanente caller ID. These callers claim to be calling from or on behalf of Kaiser Permanente but have no actual affiliation with our organization. We apologize for any inconvenience or hardship these calls may cause.

Please know that Kaiser Permanente will not initiate a call to sell you pharmaceuticals nor ask for personal information like your credit card number over the phone. If you receive a suspicious phone call from someone who says they represent Kaiser Permanente, do not provide any personal information, and hang up immediately.

What is spoofing?

Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information that appears on your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers manipulate the caller ID so that the incoming call appears to be coming from a local or well-known phone number, making you more likely to answer and divulge sensitive personal information.

If you think you’ve been the victim of a spoofing scam, you can contact our Member Services Department, 650-742-2097. You can also file a complaint with the FCC and visit fcc.gov/spoofing for tips on how to avoid spoofing.

Members and non-members age 12 and over are encouraged to make an appointment for a free COVID-19 vaccine. Learn more at kp.org/covidvaccine.

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