Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Redwood City Birth Injury Lawyers

This page is for parents and family members who delivered a baby at Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Redwood City, the Kaiser Permanente hospital at 1100 Veterans Blvd. in Redwood City, San Mateo County, California. If your baby had a hard start, a long stay in a special care or intensive care unit, or you were later told your child has a condition such as cerebral palsy, you may be looking for plain answers about what happened and what your options are. This guide is meant to help you understand, not to blame anyone.

Birth is usually safe, and most babies born in California go home healthy. But when a baby is injured around the time of labor and delivery, the effects can last a lifetime, and families often have questions months or years later. Below you will find general medical information from public health sources, the warning signs that parents and pediatricians watch for, how an independent expert review of a delivery works, and the practical steps you can take now, including how to ask for medical records and early developmental help.

Nothing here says that anything went wrong at any hospital, and nothing here is legal advice about your own situation. Birth-injury claims involve strict deadlines, and for Kaiser Permanente members they usually involve binding arbitration rather than a courtroom. That is one more reason to learn your options early. The legal sections at the end of the page explain the deadlines and rules in more detail.

Labor and delivery at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center

According to Kaiser Permanente's own website, labor and delivery services are offered in Redwood City. The hospital's page describes a labor and delivery unit and a Mother/Baby unit, with private labor rooms and private, family-centered postpartum rooms, and it says families can choose certified nurse-midwives for most normal deliveries as well as a team of obstetrician-gynecologists. The hospital is licensed as a non-profit corporation, and its parent organization in state records is Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

According to the hospital's 2024 report to the state (HCAI), the hospital cared for 1,962 newborns in its newborn nursery that year. The same report lists 4 licensed intensive-care newborn (NICU) beds and 119 NICU discharges in 2024. The hospital's own labor and delivery page says it has a well-baby nursery and a special care nursery, and that neonatal intensive care for babies born earlier than 34 weeks is provided at nearby Kaiser Permanente medical centers. If you want to know which unit and which hospital cared for your baby, the medical record will show it.

The hospital serves families across Redwood City and the surrounding Peninsula communities of San Mateo County. Because this is a Kaiser Permanente hospital, most of its patients are Kaiser Permanente members, and that matters later if a family ever asks questions about a delivery, because the member agreement usually points disputes toward arbitration.

Birth injuries families ask about after a difficult delivery

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, is the term doctors use for brain injury caused by reduced oxygen or blood flow to the brain before, during or shortly after birth. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) explains that outcomes vary widely: some children have no long-term problems, while others have mild to severe disabilities. Newborns with HIE are often treated in a neonatal unit, sometimes with therapeutic cooling, and are followed closely afterward.

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement, balance and posture. The CDC calls it the most common motor disability in childhood and explains that most cases are congenital, meaning the brain was affected before or during birth, although the exact cause is often never found. The CDC also notes that a lack of oxygen during birth is now thought to cause only a small share of cases. That is why a careful review of the whole medical record matters: cerebral palsy can have many causes, and only a review of the records can say whether anything about the delivery played a part.

Other conditions families ask about include Erb's palsy and other brachial plexus injuries, where the nerves running from the neck to the arm are stretched during a difficult delivery and a baby has a weak or limp arm; bleeding in the newborn brain; fractures of the collarbone or skull; serious infections such as group B strep that can pass from mother to baby; and injuries to the mother such as severe postpartum hemorrhage. Many of these conditions can occur even when everyone does everything right, and many heal well. Others need long-term care. This section is general medical background and is not about any particular hospital.

Warning signs of a birth injury in the first days, weeks and months

In the first days, parents and nurses watch for trouble breathing, a baby who is very limp or very stiff, weak or absent crying, poor feeding or difficulty swallowing, seizures (which can look like repeated jerking, lip smacking, staring or unusual eye movements), a very low or very high temperature, and a baby who is unusually hard to wake. A baby who needed resuscitation, cooling therapy or a transfer to a higher level of newborn care deserves a careful follow-up plan.

In the first weeks and months, signs can be quieter. The CDC lists some early signs of cerebral palsy: a baby under 6 months whose head lags when lifted, whose body feels stiff or floppy, whose back and neck arch when held, or whose legs stiffen or cross when lifted. After 6 months, a baby who does not roll over, cannot bring hands together or to the mouth, or reaches with only one hand while keeping the other fisted may need to be checked. An arm that does not move normally after delivery may point to a nerve injury.

Delayed milestones such as rolling over, sitting, crawling or walking, trouble with feeding, ongoing irritability, or missed hearing or vision responses are reasons to speak with your pediatrician. The CDC says you do not need to wait for a doctor's referral or a diagnosis to contact your state's early intervention program. Trust your instincts. Many children with these signs turn out to be fine, but early evaluation is never a mistake.

Who may be responsible in a birth injury claim?

Responsibility in a birth-injury case is not automatic and is not assumed. After a delivery, many people may have been involved in care: labor and delivery nurses, the obstetrician or certified nurse-midwife, anesthesia providers, pediatricians and neonatal specialists, and the hospital or medical group that employs or contracts with them. A claim may be directed toward one or several of them, but only if an independent medical review finds that care fell below accepted standards and that this caused the injury.

Who employs a doctor often matters. Some physicians are employees of the hospital or its affiliated medical group; others are independent practitioners who have privileges to treat patients at the hospital. At Kaiser Permanente, physicians commonly practice through a medical group tied to the health plan, so the details of who worked for whom can be different from other hospitals. Your records and the paperwork you received can help answer that question.

Parents often ask whether they can bring a claim if their own doctor did not work for the hospital. In general, the answer depends on the facts, and the right defendants are identified during the review. You do not need to decide this alone or in advance. An attorney can look at the records with an expert and explain who may be involved and why.

How an independent expert review of the delivery works

The first step in a serious look at a delivery is collecting the complete medical records for both mother and baby: prenatal notes, labor and delivery records, anesthesia records, the newborn chart, and NICU or special care nursery notes if the baby needed them. A request for the complete chart, including electronic fetal heart monitoring strips and cord blood gas results, is the starting point.

A qualified, independent physician, often an obstetrician, a neonatologist or a pediatric neurologist, then reads the chart. The reviewer looks at the fetal heart rate tracing and how the care team responded to it, Apgar scores at one and five minutes, umbilical cord blood gas values, the timing of decisions during labor, newborn symptoms, and brain imaging such as MRI. They try to answer two questions: did the care meet the accepted standard, and did any departure cause the child's condition, rather than something unrelated such as genetics, infection or prematurity?

This review is about medicine, not blame. Many families learn from it that the injury could not have been prevented, and that is valuable information too. If the review does support a claim, the family can decide what to do next with full information. Because experts and records take time, starting early leaves room to do this carefully before any deadline gets close.

What you can do now: a step-by-step guide

First, take care of your child. Keep every appointment with your pediatrician and any specialists, and ask for referrals to therapy or neurology if you have concerns. Write down dates, symptoms, names of programs and what each provider tells you. Keep any discharge papers, bills, photos and videos that show how your baby is developing.

Second, request the records. Ask for the complete labor and delivery chart for the mother and the complete chart for the baby, including fetal monitoring strips and NICU or nursery notes, and save everything you receive. Third, speak with a birth-injury attorney early, even if you are not sure you want to bring a claim, because deadlines for children and for parents are different and can be strict. Ask about fees before you hire anyone.

Fourth, ask about early help for your child, through your pediatrician and through the regional center described below. Fifth, avoid posting details of your child's case on social media and do not sign legal paperwork you do not understand. Taking these steps does not commit you to any claim; it keeps your options open.

Support while the case is reviewed: therapies, Early Start, Medi-Cal and CCS

A legal review should never delay care. Children with birth injuries often benefit from physical, occupational and speech therapy, vision and hearing checks, and follow-up with neurology or orthopedics. Your pediatrician can help build a plan, and early therapy is often most useful in the first years of life.

In California, babies and toddlers under age 3 with a developmental delay or a higher chance of delay can be evaluated through Early Start, run through regional centers. The Golden Gate Regional Center, which serves San Mateo County, lists injury during birth among the high-risk conditions that may qualify a child, and says the eligibility assessment is free. Families may also look into Medi-Cal and California Children's Services (CCS) for children with certain medical conditions; your county or your child's care team can tell you what applies to your family.

None of these programs requires you to file a legal claim, and none of them promises any outcome in a claim. They exist so that children can get help now. Parents of children with lasting needs are often surprised by how much support exists once they ask.

Kaiser members: arbitration instead of a jury

Kaiser Permanente works differently from most hospitals. Kaiser’s own member materials explain that members agree to binding arbitration instead of a jury or court trial for certain matters, that a member who believes their care was negligent can ask for binding arbitration, and that the arbitrator’s decision is binding on both the member and Kaiser Permanente. These arbitrations are run by a neutral Office of the Independent Administrator (oia-kaiserarb.com), not by Kaiser. For a family who delivered at a Kaiser hospital as Kaiser members, that usually means a birth-injury claim is decided by an arbitrator rather than a jury — and the claim still has to be started on time, so it is important not to wait.

Deadlines for a birth-injury claim in California

California gives a child’s birth-injury case its own deadline. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 340.5, a minor must sue within three years of the wrongful act, but a child who was under six when it happened has until his or her eighth birthday if that is longer. For a baby hurt during labor or delivery, that usually means the eighth birthday. The clock runs from the act itself, not from the day the family learned what went wrong, and it is paused only in narrow cases of fraud or collusion. Parents’ own claims, and claims against a public hospital, can have much shorter deadlines, so it is safer to get advice early.

California’s MICRA law limits one part of a medical malpractice recovery. Under Civil Code § 3333.2, as amended by AB 35, non-economic damages (pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life) are capped. In 2026 the cap is $470,000 for injury and $650,000 for wrongful death, and it rises every January 1 ($40,000 and $50,000 a year until 2033, then 2% a year). Separate caps can apply to doctors, hospitals and unaffiliated providers. Economic damages are not capped: lifetime medical care, therapy, equipment, home modifications and lost earning capacity can be recovered in full, and in a birth-injury case they are usually the largest part of the claim.

How to get the delivery records from Kaiser Permanente Redwood City

California law gives families a right to these records. Under Health and Safety Code § 123110, a patient or the patient’s personal representative — for a baby, a parent or guardian (§ 123105) — may inspect the records within five working days of a written request and is entitled to a paper or electronic copy, which the provider must send within 15 days after receiving a request that says which records are wanted. For a birth-injury review, ask for both charts: the mother’s labor and delivery record, including the fetal heart rate monitoring strips, and the baby’s newborn and NICU record.

To request records from this hospital, start with Kaiser Permanente's Health Information Management (release of information) service. Kaiser's Northern California Request Medical Information page explains how members can request records through kp.org, by secure message to their care team, or by calling Health Information Management Services, and it provides an Authorization to Use and Disclose Protected Health Information form that you can use to have records sent to another person, such as a lawyer. A parent or guardian can request a baby's records. Ask for the complete chart, including fetal heart monitoring strips, cord blood gas results and any NICU or special care nursery notes. The hospital is located at 1100 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063, main phone 650-299-2000.

The hospital’s medical records page →

Where a case from Redwood City would be filed

In San Mateo County, a civil lawsuit for personal injury is generally filed with the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo. The court's Civil Division is located at the Hall of Justice and Records, 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063, near the hospital; the court's main number is (650) 261-5100, and you should confirm with the clerk where a particular case will be filed. However, if you delivered at this hospital as a Kaiser Permanente member, your claim will usually go to binding arbitration with a neutral arbitrator instead of to court, and the claim still has to be started on time.

Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo (Civil Division, Hall of Justice and Records) → — 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063

Help for your child now: Early Start in San Mateo County

Early Start is California's early intervention program for babies and toddlers under age 3. For Redwood City and the rest of San Mateo County, it is provided through the Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC). Anyone, including a parent, can refer a child, and you do not need a diagnosis. You can apply through the GGRC website at ggrc.org or call the San Mateo County line, (650) 524-4500. GGRC says a social worker will help organize an assessment, there is no cost for the eligibility assessment, and if your child qualifies, a plan is created with your family. Ask for an evaluation as soon as you have a concern.

Golden Gate Regional Center →

Key facts

Questions parents ask

Related pages

Cerebral Palsy · Erb’s Palsy / Brachial Plexus Injury · HIE / Oxygen Deprivation at Birth · Statute of Limitations · MICRA Damages Cap · All California hospitals · California birth injury lawyers · Birth injury guides

Beverly Law is an independent law firm. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or speaking for Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Redwood City or Kaiser Permanente (Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.). Hospital facts on this page come from the public sources listed above.

Important: This page is general information about birth injuries and California law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Beverly Law. Every case is different — talk to a lawyer about your own situation. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. No fees or costs unless we win. Last reviewed: 2026-09-18.