Resolution: 15-05

Accepting the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on San Francisco General Hospital’s Future Location’s Recommendation To Rebuild SFGH at Its Current Potrero Avenue Campus

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 1953 requires all California acute care hospitals to have performed all seismic improvements to existing buildings by the year 2008, and have available a seismically conforming building for acute patient care before the year 2030 or be revoked of their acute care license, and California Senate Bill 1803 allows hospitals to defer seismic improvements to existing hospital buildings by 2008, provided a conforming building is in place by 2013; and,

WHEREAS, San Francisco General Hospital’s (SFGH) Main Building currently does not comply with SB 1953 regulations; and,

WHEREAS, the San Francisco Health Commission supports the rebuilding of SFGH by the year 2013; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gavin Newsom established the Blue Ribbon Committee on San Francisco General Hospital’s Future Location (SFGHBRC) to recommend where SFGH should be rebuilt – either of the existing campus in Potrero Hill or at Mission Bay, co-locating with the planned women’s, children’s and cancer hospitals for UCSF; and

WHEREAS, members of the SFGHBRC reflected a broad base of representatives from health care, education, advocacy, community, business, labor, government, philanthropy and residents; and

WHEREAS, members of the SFGHBRC reviewed and considered access and service issues, cost and financing issues, program issues, and neighborhood and staff issues; and

WHEREAS, members of the SFGHBRC considered and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the Potrero Hill and Mission Bay locations; and

WHEREAS, it was the consensus of the SFGHBRC that the City and County of San Francisco should rebuild SFGH at its existing Potrero Avenue site in order to meet required State seismic safety regulations for acute care hospitals; and

WHEREAS, it was recommended by the SFGHBRC that the City and County should continue to work with its elected officials (on the local, state and federal levels) to identify additional mechanisms (i.e., above and beyond a General Obligation Bond) for financing the hospital replacement; and

WHEREAS, the Health Commission has reviewed and considered the SFGHBRC final report, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, the Health Commission accepts the recommendations of the SFGHBRC to rebuild SFGH at the existing Potrero Avenue site; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Health Commission recommends the City and County to identify funding sources beyond a general obligation bond to finance the hospital replacement.

I hereby certify that the San Francisco Health Commission at its meeting of October 18, 2005 adopted the foregoing resolution.

Michele M. Seaton, Executive Secretary to the Health Commission