The PPA in Berkeley procures blood and bone marrow for research with payment "for your time". They…read moreschedule donors during the mornings on Monday-Thursday so the products can be shipped fresh to the contracting laboratories. Plan to spend quite a while at the first visit filling out your medical history, including any prescriptions you take. If you pass the written screening, small samples of blood will be taken and tested for HIV and hepatitis. Once they are screened, which takes a business day, they will call to schedule your donation. A great thing: if you had questionable historyy from your distant past such that the Red Cross will not accept your blood, it will not disqualify you from donating as long as you never contracted anything. Nawid at the front desk and Barbie who explains and takes the blood are both very personable and effective. A doctor takes the bone marrow from two points in the hip bones. PPA prefers consistent donors, and will call you to ask if you'd like to come in again at the time blood or bone marrow has been replenished in your body. Payment is made in cash immediately afterwards, and was much more than the amount listed on the agreement form which must be signed at each donation. That amount may have been for plasma donation in their TN office. Rather than donate plasma, if you want to help medical science and yourself financially as well, I highly recommend PPA!

The Berkeley Free clinic has been a Godsend!!!! I am a…read moreregistered nurse and I moved from Connecticut to California three weeks ago. My CT insurance only covers emergency room visits (with a $150 co pay). My California health insurance will not take affect for another couple of weeks. I have had urinary tract infection symptoms for 10 days and was trying to hold off getting tested and treated until the CA insurance started. I went to the clinic tonight and left with antibiotics to treat the infection I do in fact have. EVERYONE at the clinic was kind, compassionate, and advocates for a better health care system. THANK YOU - especially Coleen (who will begin medical school next year)

The Berkeley Free Clinic is an American treasure. I have been going to dentist there for a long…read moretime. The room is clean, the staff is friendly, and the service is professional. I am truly grateful that BFC has stayed open all these many years to serve low income people in need. And it really is free, but I always make a donation to help keep them afloat!

Sarah the Phlebotomist is very welcoming, kind and helpful. She will break down all the options for…read moreyou to donate and is very clear and concise. Thanks again Sarah!

I love this place! The employees are kind and everyone is very helpful; the first time I went I was…read moreexpecting to donate plasma but I soon realized I didn't qualify for that. I now just donate blood when they need me. They a very professional and quick, all services have to be scheduled in advance and you are also compensating for anything including a consultation. I really recommend them for a side hustle or quick cash ;)

I donated whole blood at this Vitalant blood donation location last Friday morning. The last time…read moreI donated blood was back in 2009 at this same location when it used to be Blood Center of the Pacific. I was so happy when the front desk receptionist Denise was able to retrieve the records of my previous visits on her computer. Denise was very friendly and helpful. The medical staff, I think her name was Keisha, was very friendly when she spoke with me in the interview room and very skillfully trained when she both prepared me for and performed my blood transfusion. The whole procedure took about 15 minutes and there was no pain or discomfort. After my transfusion, I entered the snack area and had a few bags of free snacks and a bottle of water, as was recommended. I had a very pleasant visit at Vitalant. I feel really good for having donated blood because my blood can be available for people who really need it.

It was 90 degrees in San Francisco on the day of my appointment and my office is a half-mile from…read moreVitalant, but even then I did not cancel. In spite of a full day of meetings and preparation for a work event that evening, I made the choice to honor my commitment. Donating blood is important and truly saves lives; I can deal with getting sweaty in work clothes order to do that. Vitalant had emailed and called me asking that I keep my 1:30 p.m. appointment. In spite of the heat, I arrived and checked in at 1:31. I had already answered the 50+ question Fast Track ticket for an expedited experience. There was only one person waiting when I arrived. It turned out he had missed his appointment that morning and was hoping they could fit him in. I understand that things happen and sometimes we all run behind schedule. What I will not accept is the complete lack of communication - no text or call to say Vitalant was running behind, no apology when I arrived, not even snacks and water or an update - absolutely nothing. After about 10 minutes, the other donor was taken even though I had the scheduled appointment. At this point, I asked if there was an estimate of how much longer the wait would be and was told they were just finishing up with other folks and would be right with me. After 20 minutes, I reiterated that I needed to get back to work soon and that I could not spend all afternoon waiting to donate blood. This was when I was offered the chance to reschedule. Perhaps the offer was intended to be helpful, but I took it as a bit of an insult. Why would I want to reschedule when I have already fit the appointment into a busy day? Besides, I had been led to believe I could be taken momentarily. After waiting for 35 minutes, I finally left. I was too anxious that I would not make it back for my 3:00 p.m. meeting. Between the walk time and waiting, I had completely wasted an hour of my busy day. Vitalant's behavior the day of my appointment was unprofessional and unacceptable. I gave them an awful lot of leeway and still left incredibly disappointed, Vitalant should be completely embarrassed. There are other places to donate blood; I'd encourage anyone reading this to seriously consider those alternatives.

UCSF Laboratory at the Berkeley Cancer Center highly recommended. Dealing with health challenges is…read morenever easy, but the phlebotomy team here makes every visit significantly better. A special thank you to Michelle and Lee, who are absolute standouts. They are not only incredibly skilled and efficient but also bring a level of genuine kindness and calm to the room that is hard to find. They make the process quick and painless every single time. The entire phlebotomist team is professional, compassionate, and truly dedicated to patient care. If you have to have labs done, this is the best team to see. Thank you all for the wonderful work you do!

Infusion center staff are amazing! They make sure you are comfortable during your infusion while…read moremonitoring you for adverse reactions. Skilled wonderful group of nurses!

They provide free services and support for women with cancer. They are the absolute best.read more

They need to work on loyalty and appreciation for their volunteers. They should learn how to thank…read moresomeone who supports them and their programs.

I was a little worried about having to come here after reading these comments, but I beg to differ…read more Yes, you walk in and there's a kiosk, BUT you can also check in through your phone, and you receive an email with all the details for your appointment. I'll give the receptionist a 4.5/5, only because she didn't know how to spell a word and asked me to spell it out for her, I also had some time to think while waiting. My appointment was at 10:30 a.m., and I arrived at 9:58 a.m. It took me two minutes to check in very easy and straightforward. Although there was no one there, I had to wait until 10:30 a.m., and that's fine because I had nowhere to be. I did see the receptionist get up and help an elderly woman sign in. She had zero attitude and was very helpful. Now, the part where people say they are sitting around is true. If you arrive a little too early, they won't take you in until your appointment time. The place was clean, and everything went smoothly. Thank you!

They're a little loose about staying open during posted hours…read more I showed up about 30 minutes before the lunch break. They didn't

Came to see Dr. Fang for the first time, as I had just moved to the area last year and needed a new…read moredermatologist. Found Dr. Fang's office through my network's provider search, but was a bit hesitant due to some of the negative Yelp reviews. Dr. Fang's office however was very close to where I live. And located right outside El Cerrito Plaza, just past JoAnn's, free parking is readily available in the plaza, and I just had to walk over. As it turned out, my concern was baseless, as Dr Fang was not only extremely kind, but listened and addressed all of my concerns, made recommendations and gave treatment options that I felt comfortable with, and left me feeling much more educated about my body in general. In fact, far more than my previous dermatologist, or any of my prior primary care physicians ever did, combined, regarding the same issues. So ecstatic that I was able to find such a great dermatologist nearby. And one whom I plan to continue seeing for as long as I live here!

Unfortunately if I could give a less than zero, I would! This is for the "office manager" and not…read moreDr. Fang. Dr. Fang is a five star doctor. I have been a patient of Dr. Fang's for years. She is a wonderful and knowledgable doctor. She is always helpful and I really appreciate her calm bedside manner. She has even treated my son with patience, care and understanding of his skin issues. When I came in to the office for my appointment, there was a man behind the desk (whom I've never seen before) announcing loudly for all to hear that he is the "office manager" and spoke to the other receptionists and other patients, including elderly patients with a very rude and condescending tone! Then I called the office a month later regarding my insurance and my routine appointment. I had a question regarding treatment and I recognized the same voice that I heard when I came in for my appointment. He unfortunately was the same rude and condescending person and then he became accusatory with me over the phone. He was saying that I was asking him to change my chart, commit fraud and that I would cause my doctors' license to be revoked. AND she wouldn't be able to practice medicine! He said it again even more aggressively than the first time. WHAT?! Who says that?! Umm... I had a question about my treatment and the description of the code claims according to my visit. Including my co-pay there was an expensive $195 add-on to my invoice by the office and I didn't know what it meant. I was told to call the office for clarification by my provider and the billing department of Golden State Dermatology. I didn't think a basic conversation would turn into a hostile one, causing me to feel upset for asking legitimate questions, which is part of his job, being an "office manager." I mentioned I would try and reach out to the doctor, when he became even more defensive. I have never in my life, been spoken to in that manner by a professional doctor's office. I was in tears when I called the billing department for the third time. After almost 2 hours of dealing with this mess, they were really helpful, listened and answered all of my questions. Thank goodness! I'm having serious thoughts of moving on to a new doctor. I don't want to engage with an "office manager" that treats his fellow employees with self-entitlement and disrespecting patients by belittling them publicly or by phone.