Medical Helipad Project

Background

The San Francisco Health Commission approved the City and County of San Francisco Trauma Care System Plan in August 2001 and requested that SFGH conduct a needs assessment and feasibility analysis for a medical helipad at San Francisco General Hospital (Resolution No. 14-01).

The Trauma Care System Plan revealed vulnerabilities in San Francisco’s ability to prevent death and disability due to injury. The trauma system vulnerabilities – geographic isolation, traffic congestion, population density, a solitary trauma center, no pediatric trauma center - are especially aggravated by the lack of air medical access to San Francisco’s only Trauma Center. This can be particularly problematic when injures are sustained by young children, requiring immediate transfer to Oakland Children’s Pediatric Trauma Center.

The needs and feasibility analysis study concluded that access to a medical helipad on the main campus was definitely needed primarily to mitigate the City of San Francisco Trauma System vulnerabilities. The study also determined that it was structurally feasible to build a medical helipad on the roof of the main SFGH hospital and to raise two elevators to the roof for direct patient transfers to the Emergency Department, Operating Rooms and the Intensive Care Unit. Additionally, the study highlighted the need to ensure consistent availability of standard trauma care for the people who live, work and travel to San Francisco and to sustain the hospital’s nationally renowned Trauma Program.

SFGH staff presented the needs and feasibility analysis to the Health Commission on March 4, 2003  (Health Commission March 4, 2003 Minutes).  The Health Commission unanimously accepted the study and directed SFGH to complete the next phase of planning for air medical access to San Francisco General Hospital to include the development of an environmental impact report [EIR], medical helipad design and permit processes (Health Commission Resolution 5-03)