WHEREAS, in October 2005 the Boards of Directors of St. Luke’s Hospital and California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) approved an affiliation agreement whereby St. Luke’s would become the fourth campus of CPMC; and
WHEREAS, St. Luke’s has a 150-year history of serving the South of Market and Mission neighborhoods and has been an integral part of San Francisco’s health care safety net; and
WHEREAS, it is CPMC’s and St. Luke’s belief that without the merger St. Luke’s could not continue to operate; and
WHEREAS, closing St. Luke’s Hospital, or reducing its level of service from a full-service acute care hospital, will further exacerbate the dearth of health care services in the Southeast sector of the City.
WHEREAS, the closure of St. Luke’s psychiatric inpatient and outpatient services has resulted in a deficit of mental health services in San Francisco, and particularly in the Southeast sector of the City, and it would be beneficial if CPMC restored behavioral health services to the St. Luke’s campus; and
WHEREAS, CPMC has committed to investing the resources necessary to revitalize St. Luke’s; and
WHEREAS, as the fourth campus in the CPMC system, St. Luke’s patients will have access to a full complement of care, including specialty services; and
WHEREAS, CPMC’s revitalization efforts may result in changes to services at St. Luke’s Hospital; and
WHEREAS, CPMC and St. Luke’s have, in past presentations to the Health Commission, identified possible changes in services and highlighted challenging populations, for example the neonatal intensive care unit and the 60-bed sub acute care unit, and the Health Commission appreciates these challenges; and
WHEREAS, CPMC has committed to engaging with community stakeholders, including the Health Commission, the Mayor’s Office, the Board of Supervisors, labor, community leaders, community agencies and hospital and health care center patients, in considering the future of St. Luke’s; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Health Commission supports and encourages efforts to revitalize St. Luke’s Hospital such that it can continue its mission as an acute care hospital serving the vulnerable populations in the Southeast sector of San Francisco; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Health Commission supports CPMC to engage in a public process, in partnership with the Health Commission and other community stakeholders, around any changes that occur at St. Luke’s; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Health Commission urges CPMC to support St. Luke’s provision of charity care at no less than the current level; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Health Commission urges CPMC to offer specialty
referrals to St. Luke’s campus patients from within its own system.
I hereby certify that the San Francisco Health Commission at its meeting of
December 6, 2005 adopted the foregoing resolution.
Michele M. Seaton, Executive Secretary to the Health Commission