Dignity Health and UCSF Health Reach Definitive Agreement
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 5, 2019) - Dignity Health St. Mary’s Medical Center has donated a fully-equipped medical van to HealthRIGHT 360—a statewide provider of healthcare to people who have very low incomes and are often experiencing homelessness—to provide community outreach and help combat substance use disorder in the San Francisco community.
The donation aligns with St. Mary’s mission to care for the most vulnerable in our community. Substance use disorder was identified in the 2019 San Francisco Community Health Needs Assessment as the leading cause of death among young adults aged 18—34 years old.
“The needs assessment produced out of our work with the San Francisco Health Improvement Partnership (SFHIP) strongly shows that this vulnerable population is in need of medical intervention,” said St. Mary’s Medical Center President and CEO David Klein, MD, MBA. “Community partnerships like the ones we have with SFHIP and HealthRIGHT 360 help us reach beyond hospital walls to meet the unique health needs of San Franciscans.”
The medical van will help HealthRIGHT 360 provide mobile services to its homeless clients, including medical, behavioral health, HIV and Hepatitis C rapid testing and treatment, and medication-assisted treatment. HealthRIGHT 360 will also provide limited laboratory diagnostic services through urine testing and blood samples drawn and sent to the lab.
“We recognize that many underserved and vulnerable populations cannot always leave their belongings or schedule their lives to come in to clinic for care,” said Ana Valdés, MD, HealthRIGHT 360’s Chief Healthcare Officer. “St. Mary’s generous medical van donation enables us to be patient-centered in our care and meet our patients where they are at.”
Outreach and eligibility support for clients who are uninsured will be provided by HealthRIGHT 360, along with peer support, navigation to services and patient education regarding safety on the streets.
The medical van contains two full examination rooms and has been used by St. Mary’s since the late ‘90s for community outreach with monolingual and hard-to-reach populations for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, asthma, and scoliosis screenings, as well as foot and eye exams around the Bay Area.
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About St. Mary’s Medical Center
Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center is an accredited, not-for-profit community hospital that has been caring for the people of San Francisco since 1857. Located across from Golden Gate Park, it is the longest continually running hospital in San Francisco. St. Mary’s cardiac program offers diagnostic services, treatment, and rehabilitation. St. Mary’s also was recognized as one of the Top 100 Orthopedic Programs nationally by Becker’s Hospital Review and is a Joint Commission Certified Stroke Center. St. Mary’s state-of-the-art Cancer Center offers the full range of oncology, radiation, and imaging services. Offering the most comprehensive breast imaging services in San Francisco, St. Mary’s has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, a recognition that represents the national gold standard. Beyond clinical care, St. Mary's is committed to furthering the healing ministry, and to providing high-quality, affordable health care to the community it serves. For more information, call (415) 668-1000 or visit DignityHealth.org/StMarys.
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About HealthRIGHT 360
HealthRIGHT 360 is a statewide healthcare organization headquartered in San Francisco, that for over 50 years has provided nonjudgmental, compassionate healthcare for people in need, often during the most bleak and isolated periods of their lives. Patients and clients who turn to us have lived through years of homelessness, poverty, addiction, incarceration, and untreated medical and mental health issues.
HealthRIGHT 360 got its start in the 1960s during the historic “Summer of Love” in San Francisco, where two of its legacy organizations, Haight Ashbury Free Clinics and Walden House, provided medical care and substance use disorder treatment to the youth who came to the City, motivated by the anti-war movement, music, sex, drugs, and the desire to bring about cultural change.
Today, HealthRIGHT 360 is a critical component of the healthcare safety net, providing primary medical and preventive care to all persons seeking treatment, regardless of ability to pay or immigration status. It is now a Family of Programs comprised of ten healthcare organizations that made the decision to merge under the HealthRIGHT 360 umbrella. Last year our clinics cared for over 9,000 low income San Franciscans, many of whom were experiencing homelessness combined with multiple risk factors, including Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, and opioid dependency. For more information: www.healthright360.org
Publish date:
Thursday, December 05, 2019