Saint Mary's clinicians urge Health Commission to monitor proposed UCSF acquisition

Multiple clinicians and staff from Saint Mary's Hospital made public comment at the Aug. 15 meeting urging the Health Commission to review and monitor UCSF's proposed acquisition of Saint Mary's (and St. Francis) to protect neighborhood services.

Grama Morelli, chief of staff at Saint Mary's, asked the commission to ensure UCSF maintains programs that serve uninsured and homeless patients, to safeguard the McAuley Institute's youth psychiatric services, and to require UCSF provide regular updates to the commission and the public. Dr. Pamela Lewis, chief of surgery and medical director of the Women's Center at Saint Mary's, underscored that the Women's Center provides unique breast cancer screening on the city's West Side and asked commissioners to examine effects on independent physicians, ambulance response times and neighborhood MOUs that guide campus impacts.

Speakers acknowledged they did not oppose the sale outright but sought assurances and monitoring. Both requested that the commission consider placing the acquisition on a future agenda to review broader policy implications and protect continuity of care. They noted prior examples where hospital acquisitions resulted in service consolidations and reduced neighborhood access.

What the commission can do: Public commenters requested that the commission ask for regular UCSF updates, review implications against the department's health services master plan, and ensure any neighborhood agreements or mitigation measures that covered Parnassus are evaluated for new campuses.

Outcome: Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the acquisition but accepted the public comment and noted the request to monitor and potentially add the topic to a future agenda.