RN & Community Info For Redding (Oakland, Vista: real estate, rentals, low crime)

[Dee76]

My family and I are moving from Maui to Redding later this year. I was wondering if anyone had any information about hospitals in the Redding area, such as salary, morale, etc..

I've read a lot of different opinions on the Redding area. We enjoy a small town atmosphere and love being outdoors. I saw a post that said Redding has a Meth problem!??? Maui has a Meth problem as well, but remains a safe place to live and raise kids. Does that seem to be true of Redding, as well?

I would appreciate any information you are willing to give about the general quality of life in Redding.

Thank-You!!!

[notmeofficer]

Dee...

Maui is heaven if you can take the locals.... :-)

there are two large hospitals here
Redding Medical Center.. known as RMC
and

Mercy Medical Center

They are nice facilities.. both have gone through major remodels and are like new
both have full air trauma services on site

Both have cardiac units that sell bigtime.... money makers,, RMC has restructured after a scandal of numerous heart surgeries that may have been unnecessary.. huge suits,, all settled now.. Mercy didn't see the same thing ...and the doctors responsible are gone

Locals seem to prefer Mercy... but the doctors are the same in both places.. they are only about 2 miles apart... Mercy also has a satellite in Mount Shasta ..about 70 miles north (might be nice if you ever wanted to transfer to a mountain community)

I believe nurses are well paid here... the only larger employer might be the county...
The local paper is the Record Searchlight... the classified always has medical/nursing jobs.. and they are always the greatest number of job listings here.

California living is about 10 percent cheaper than the islands... but the weather.. well.. be prepared for HOT summers and sometimes rainy winters... there is lots of open space... and lots of recreational stuff to do

The county is currently 181k residents.. predicted to be 320k in 25 years.. so it is going to grow substantially. It is an aging population so anything in elder care is profitable and substantial. We are scheduled for groundbreaking of a Veterans home. The county attracts other Californians because the land, relative to elsewhere, is still affordable. I see homes from 250k and up that are nice... 500k can still buy a REALLY nice home with land. We own 27 senic acres close in ( a term you will learn.. meaning within easy drive to the city) with a nice modular and a killer shop.. It is an end of the road property with expensive custom homes on acreage nearby... it has Bella Vista Water (and water IS the most important thing here if you live outside of city services).. its worth about 550k... double that if developed (very hard to do with severe fire regulations) and split... Rentals are reasonable.. 1000 will get you a nice home

There is meth here,,,(the tell tail signs of bad dental.. ie no teeth are readily evident) but like everything in life careful living and good choices can keep you insulated from it

I work for MADD and sit as a member on Shasta County's Injury Coalition Council (Public agency partners Sheriff CHP Police/Fire, hospital ER staff (nurses), county staff)... this county is going to grow but there are also many very dedicated people improving the quality of life.

It is expensive to live in California.. but after the islands you might not think so. Work in your field is plentiful. At one point they were offering huge bonuses to get people (nurses) to come... I don't think that is occurring now but a little research and contacting some people in your field working here would let you know. There are a number of private facilities.. I think those nurses are lower paid,, there is a traveling nurse program as well.. many rural surrounding mountain communities dictate the need for expert caregivers

I have lived here for about 8 years retiring from police service in so cal.... it was a breath of fresh air moving up here, for me, after the rat race down below. My wife and I are burned out on California (She was born here, I moved here more than 30 years ago) and we are looking at cashing in on the land we live on.. because California real estate is so spendy.. and moving where it, perhaps, wont grow as much as we age.

Now... nirvana.. just where is that? ( we love Maui.. but the cost of land and the local problems of island living are deal breakers)

Good Luck

Cam

[Dee76]

Thank-you for the info, it was very helpful. We moved two years ago from Southern Cal to Maui. My husband was with the CHP and we were stationed in LA. At the time, there didn't seem to be any hope of him transfering to another area and after three years there, we were very burnt out with living in LA. So, my husband got a job with the Maui PD and we moved. Maui is an amazing place, but trying to make it on the salary of a Police Officer and a RN has proven to be near impossible. My husband is in the application process with the Redding Police Dept. I was hoping with your background and current position, you could tell me a little about the dept.

Thank-you again for your reply. Good luck in your search for nirvana!!!

[notmeofficer]

Dee...

I do know about RPD...
With two incomes you could live very nicely here even by Cali standards...

RPD is the highest paying local department...they hire pretty much laterals.. because they can,, and because they get plenty of applications... CHP is very active here.. Redding is definitely a retirement spot for most chippies..
RPD is a good smaller department.. the guys seem happy.. at least outwardly.. looks like they get good equipment.. most of the street coppers look younger to me.. but its all relative as Im over 50
I know a couple of redding coppers and would be glad to make an intro for you if you think that might be helpful...

Shasta County Sheriff is underpaid and overworked,, morale isnt nearly as good... honestly.. knowing what I know I wouldn't recommend them,, coppers street level are the same everywhere... but the department is just plain underpaid.. and that creates discontent even if they want to do good things

Ill send you a pm..

cam

cam

[notmeofficer]

Let me know if you need more local contacts for the area... since Im active in the "county" community I know all the players..

If you end up needing neighborhood, Realtor, school info (my wife is a teacher), fun stuff to do on your exploratory trip... sing out

Its super hard to really find out about a place without some local guidance

[ironmountainranch]

Hi, Dee....

We moved here last summer and love it. My husband is a physician here....works at Mercy and at St. Elizabeth's in Red Bluff which is 50 miles south of us (they are both owned by Catholic Hospitals-West.) Doc's actually are NOT the same at both hospitals in Redding (the other hospital here is Shasta Regional Medical Center)....some doc's do have priviledges at both, but intensivists and nurses tend to work at one or the other, not both.

Mercy is the only trauma center....and actually services 22% of the state of CA....as well as southern Oregon and western NV. Job security is good

Meth is actually on the decline....according to both law enforcement and health care statistics.

My husband is starting a tactical physician program with the Sheriff here right now....he has SWAT background (Oakland, so this is really tame to him) and the PD here just doesn't see the kinds of issues as they do in other parts of the state....I'm sure that DUI's and redneck bar fights seriously outnumber gang and drug related incidents. Most big busts are made by the county not by RPD, anyway.

The "doctor's wife club" actually has more nurses in it than doctor's wives so let me know if I can connect you with anyone....I know lots of nurses and NP's.

Best, Bridgette

[CaliRN]

Dee

I work as an RN at SRMC. I interviewed and did some of my clinical's at both hospitals years ago. I will tell you that I liked SRMC (the old RMC) better. Even post scandal. Which was all a bunch of crap and politics to run a couple of really good DRs out of town. Even now there are Cardiologists who are doing surgeries earlier, because who wants to wait until you are 90-95% occluded? Regardless of all that BS. I love the people I work with.

Apply at both and interview and decide which you prefer. If you could fly out and see and talk to hospital staff that would be better. I do know we just hired a bunch of Mercy employees, if that says anything to you.

There is a ton of meth here. That is true. Anyone who says there isnt, doesnt see them day to day come in the hospital.

[CaliRN]

Sorry I failed to mention, although Redding has a high meth problem, it still remains a safe place to raise your children. Great schools and low crime aside from the meth.

[ironmountainranch]

Dee,

I have good friends who are RN's and work at both hospitals. If you are looking for work in the medical field here, job security (as I said) is good. As far as the cardiology scandal at RMC, it was real. "Good doctors" were not run out of town. Bad doctors admitted guilt, gave up their licenses and left, and an entire hospital declared bankruptcy and went out of business. I put my husband through med school and residency and "good" doctors do not give up 12 plus years of a 6 figure education when they are innocent.

As far as meth....it is indeed a problem....doesn't change the fact that it is on the decline. Drugs are a problem everywhere....my husband was an ED physician at the county trauma center in Oakland before we moved here. So, undoubtedly, we come with a different perspective.

Good luck to you on your move

[Dee76]

Thank-you both for the info. Any information is both helpful and appreciated. My husband is in the hiring process with the Redding Police Dept and is awaiting his oral interview. It makes it a little hard to plan much of anything until he is offered a position. He is a Police Officer here in Maui and was in the CHP before we moved so you think I would be used to the long hiring process, but it's hard to be patient when so much is up in the air.

I would be really interested to know more about the Pediatric Services offered at both hospitals. Before moving to Maui, I worked PICU for several years and before that worked in an outpatient Peds Clinic. I have been working in the ER since moving to Maui and enjoy that, but am really looking forward to working in Pediatrics again. I have looked at both websites and read that Mercy has a Women's/Peds Pavillion, but wasn't able to find exactly what services they offer.

Thank-you again in advance for the replies. I'd be glad to offer any tips on visiting Maui if anyone needs them