Brookside Community Health Center

I’ve been calling for days to try and set an appointment, but no one has ever answered. I can’t even get to an operator by hitting 0.

I’m only giving 1 star because I have too and it’s nice inside. Been coming here since beginning of my wife pregnancy for appointments and the lady was so rude and wasn’t helpful at all. Never gave us info so we didn’t know what was going on with the baby. I do not feel like they care about us! Been looking for other places to go but not too many places would accept our coverage. Would never ever recommend!!!

This is a wonderful clinic. I’ll admit i was a bit skeptical on my first visit, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. Dr. Jackson is a wonderful doctor. So nice, caring, and helpful. If you have a health problem, he will do whatever he can to help you. If he can’t help he will refer you to a specialist. Basically what I’m trying to say is that he will not give up on you as a patient. He truly cares about your well being. Great doctor, great person. I highly recommend!

I didn’t have to talk to anyone on the phone during our last visit. As usual the front desk was friendly and helpful and the doctor was good with my son. I’m still dreading having to call in my next appointment. Hopefully talking to the person on the phone will be easier than last. I am relieved to have my son see a doctor.

Brookside Community Clinic in Richmond doesn’t deserve to receive any grants, donations, or awards. The medical staff/assistant’s/ needs retraining. They aren’t charting /​or making important notes in patients file. In my opinion the staff/​receptionists are rude and seem to discriminate against races other than theirs. They are weeding out African Americans /​Caucasians patients and filling with Hispanic patients. The language heard throughout the office is Spanish.
Dr Smith we miss you. You were a very caring Doctor. Dr Banks is a straight up ass. He doesn’t give a damn about your medical problems. He don’t listen to what you’ve addressed to him about improper charting by staff. The state needs to send the medical staff back to school for retraining. Their mistakes has caused me emotional stress preventing me from getting much needed medications. The restroom is always filthy. The cleanliness of the office is 0 stars. I have to give 1 star in order to review. (Yes I’m a pissed off patient)

Brookside Community Health Center is a wonderful health facility; the providers (doctors, mid-​wives, nurse practitioners) are very knowledgeable; the Medical Assistances are also knowledgeable and very efficient. One Saturday morning my husbands’ heart began racing really fast and he became dizzy. The first thing we thought was, «Heart Attack» I had to think quickly; he had Health Net insurance so it was Doctors Medical Center or Brookside Community Health Center. It was a no brainier — off to Brookside Community Health Center we went. The Medical Assistants responded quickly, running, plugging him up and hooking him up to machines, taking his blood pressure, taking blood, etc. Another Medical Assistant escorted me into the waiting area and sat with me to calm me down. Once he was stable they directed us to Doctors Medical Center for more detailed testing only.
The staff does a wonderful job, however they may not always smile, because they are so busy with so many people that are uninsured or underinsured and who are not feeling well so they (the patients, including myself) can often be difficult to work with; so if you want a smile — go to Motel 6, «they will even live the light on». If you want great health care go to Brookside Community Health Center.

It’s pretty hard to complain about a health clinic that caters to people that can’t afford health care such as myself. I was in the area one day and took note at their sign and made a mental note that they do drop ins starting at 8a.m. Fast forward a few days and I needed some medical attention and couldn’t wait to book an appointment a few weeks out. A drop in was my only option.
I’ve experienced drop ins at Brookside before and I know you can spend hours waiting to see the doctor. I always prepare myself with a fully charged phone and plenty of reading material. The ladies behind the glass were courteous and assisted me with the necessary paperwork. Luckily, the Richmond clinic shares the patient information with the San Pablo location and I didn’t have to fill out a stack of additional forms.
As for the dreaded part, I waited for approximately four hours to be called in. The waiting time is excruciating, but there’s no other option. The medical assistant took my vitals and I waited for the doctor. The doctor was professional, but neglected to introduce the student intern, which I thought was somewhat rude. I explained my reason for the visit and she diagnosed me according.
My only complaint was the whole visit seemed rush and a little on the rude side. I forgot to include something in my paperwork and the doctor was a little ticked. My apologies. Additionally, I felt the medical assistant was a little rude with me. Nevertheless, when you can’t afford insurance, your options are slim and you’ll take what you can get.