Opinion: Save UCSF Clinical Placements! Save Public Health! Vote Yes on A

By Alfredo Mireles, Jr.
Contributing Writer

San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) is one of the major clinical placements for all UCSF schools. For instance, last year 100 percent of Pharmacy students (12 out of 12) who did a post-graduate residency did it at SFGH, 80 percent of all Master’s Entry Nursing Practice (MEPN) students did at least one clinical rotation at SFGH, about 1/3 off all Medical training for third and fourth year students was done at SFGH, and SFGH was the largest inpatient training placements for Physical Therapy students.

Besides being integral to the various schools at UCSF, San Francisco General Hospital is a vital resource to our community and offers unmatched services. SFGH is the only Level One Trauma Center in all of San Francisco. So, insured or not, if you are in some type of catastrophic accident you will be treated at SFGH. SFGH is also the single largest provider of inpatient health care in San Francisco. Last year, SFGH treated about 100,000 patients, and accounted for 20 percent of all the inpatient stays in all of San Francisco. Also, SFGH has San Francisco’s only Psychiatric Emergency Room, and over 50 percent of San Francisco’s inpatient Psychiatric beds. SFGH is the bedrock of San Francisco’s universal health access program and without it we could not continue this groundbreaking policy.

However, San Francisco General Hospital is in jeopardy of closing if we do not pass Proposition A.

Proposition A is a bond measure on the November ballot to fund the rebuilding of SFGH. California State law mandates that all acute care hospitals meet a heightened level of seismic safety or else they can no longer deliver acute care services.

Currently, SFGH is out of compliance with the law and has until 2013 to make the necessary changes, or else face closing. But the City of San Francisco has done significant preparatory work to have a realistic plan for a new seismically safe hospital. The proposed new building has gone through the rigorous environmental impact report process, has been blessed by multiple city commissions, and has a meticulously planned budget that accounts for how every bond dollar would be spent. If Proposition A passes, work will start early next year, and SFGH will be able to meet the deadlines for seismic safety imposed by the State of California.

However, the fate of SFGH is still uncertain. For SFGH to stay open, 2/3 of San Francisco voters this November must vote “yes” on Proposition A. Although polling looks good, a 2/3 vote is a very high threshold. The good news is that there has been mass consensus around Proposition A, and virtually everyone has come out in support of it.

From the mayor and all 11 of the Board of Supervisors to the Democratic, Republican and Green parties, Proposition A is uniting a city famous for its political fights. Proposition A has also gained the support of people and groups who are historically anti-bond and anti-tax; Warren Hellman, the SF Chamber of Commerce and the Golden Gate Restaurant Association have all come out in support of Proposition A. Currently, only a small group of unorganized people is coming out against Proposition A.

Some do fear that in these shaky economic times buying big municipal bonds is too risky. However, with Proposition A there will be no tax increase. The Controller’s office has certified that property taxes will remain the same due to previous bonds being fully paid off, which allows those unaccounted for tax revenues to be allocated to Proposition A bonds. Actually, the work required to build this new hospital will be a boon to our local economy, and provide hundreds of jobs for San Francisco workers.

Thus, saving San Francisco General Hospital is in the best interest of UCSF students, and in the best interest of the community as well. Without SFGH, there would be a humongous loss to UCSF clinical placements. Without SFGH, San Francisco will no longer have a Level One Trauma Center, and all other hospitals would become severely overcrowded due to 20 percent of San Francisco’s inpatient beds being lost.

Proposition A clearly merits being passed. Proposition A has received the widest political support of any local measure in recent memory, due to its extensive planning it will finish on time and on budget, it will not raise taxes, and will be a huge economic stimulus to our local economy. SO VOTE ‘YES’ ON PROPOSITION A THIS NOVEMBER 4TH!

Alfredo Mireles, Jr. is a first-year Master’s in Health Policy student in the School of Nursing.