SFMMS Issues Statement on Dignity Health/UCSF Partnership December 23, 2019 News, UCSF ACLU, Dignity Health, UCSF 0 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Erin Henke, ehenke@sfmms.org, (415) 561-0850 Medical Society Issues Statement on Dignity Health/UCSF Partnership SAN FRANCISCO, CA, December 23, 2019 -- In response to the recent request from the ACLU to the University of California to end all partnerships with Dignity Health, the San Francisco Marin Medical Society (SFMMS) President Kim Newell Green, MD has issued the following statement: SFMMS agrees with the California Medical Association and the California Hospital Association in their statements regarding the request made by the ACLU of Northern California to sever all partnerships with Dignity Health. Partnerships across the entire health ecosystem are vital in ensuring access to high-quality care for California’s patients. Collaborative efforts between UCSF and the two Dignity Health-affiliated hospitals in San Francisco have resulted in much-needed programs which provide critical health services to our community. Examples of such programs include inpatient adolescent mental health services at St. Mary's Medical Center and pediatric burn services at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. We are also aware that the Dignity Health system includes many secular hospitals such as Saint Francis Memorial Hospital where sterilization procedures and gender-affirming surgeries are performed. An end to all partnerships between UCSF and the two Dignity Health-affiliated hospitals in San Francisco would detrimentally affect access to critical health care services for our city's residents, especially for the most vulnerable populations. While we strongly support efforts to ensure equitable access to care, we agree that ACLU’s overly-broad stance to preclude certain hospital partnerships will adversely affect the poorest of Californians and efforts to improve public health. ### About SFMMS The San Francisco Marin Medical Society (SFMMS) represents over 2000 physicians who live and work in San Francisco and Marin counties. The SFMMS membership includes physicians from all specialties, modes of practice and health care facilities in the two counties. View PDF of Statement Comments are closed.
