San Francisco Chinese Hospital is a hospital in San Francisco and the only Chinese hospital in the United States. The hospital is located in San Francisco's Chinatown.
Chinese Hospital primarily serves the elderly, poor and immigrants from China in the San Francisco area and provides an alternative to San Francisco General Hospital for patients with a language barrier. The hospital also operates the Chinese Community Health Plan. The hospital's staff can provide services spoken in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Taishanese and other languages.
History
Origins
In 1888, the Chinese Hospital Association sought permission to erect a hospital in the University Mound neighborhood, but the Board of Supervisors referred the request to committee instead, based on opposition from existing property owners. Several so-called Chinese hospitals were established in San Francisco as privately-run institutions of poor repute, mainly functioning as hospices and morgues, throughout the late 1800s.
Chinese Hospital traces its origins to 1899, when the Oriental Dispensary, with ties to the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals in Hong Kong, was founded over the protests of property owners on Sacramento Street. A modern building opened in 1925, replacing the original Sacramento Street location.
1924 and 1979 buildings
The original "modern" building at 835 Jackson Street was built in 1924. A new annex was built in 1979 at 845 Jackson Street, housing 54 beds. With the opening of the 1979 hospital annex, the original 1924 building was converted to a Medical Administration Building.
2012 expansion
In 2012, Chinese Hospital announced plans to build a replacement hospital building in the space where the 1924 building currently stood. The new building would take over patient care from the 1979 building, and the 1924 building would be demolished as it was seismically unsafe. The plans were approved and the 1924 building was demolished, despite significant opposition by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP). The NTHP commemorated the 1924 building as one of ten historic sites lost in 2013. There was a 41-space parking garage behind the 1924 building which was also demolished to make room for the new building.
As of September 2016, the new eight-story, $180 million building called the Patient Tower was set to officially open. The replacement hospital building was planned to have 54 beds and add a new 22-bed skilled nursing facility; the 1979 building would be converted to serve as a Medical Administration and Outpatient Center. Fundraising for the project was spearheaded by Rose Pak, a Chinese American activist who died September 18, 2016.
Board of Directors
Services
Services provided by SFCH include:
- Surgical suites
- Intensive Care Unit
- 24-hour Treatment Center
- Same Day Surgery Unit
- Western San Francisco Community Clinic
- Clinical and Pathology Laboratories
- Imaging Services (Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, CT Scanning, Ultrasound, Mammography, etc.)
- Cardiopulmonary Unit (Cardiology, Pulmonary Function, Respiratory Therapy, Neurology, etc.)
- Pharmacy
Famous patients
Actor and martial artist Bruce Lee was born at Chinese Hospital.
See also
- History of the Chinese Americans in San Francisco
Other Chinese hospitals and health care serving local Chinese communities:
- Montreal Chinese Hospital
- Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care - Greater Toronto Area
- Tung Wah Group of Hospitals - Hong Kong
- Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center - Manila
References
External links
- SFCH website (in English) (in Chinese)
- StoryStudio (12 April 2016). "Chinese Hospital celebrates grand opening of new patient tower [BLOG]". SFGate. Retrieved 14 October 2016.Â
- StoryStudio (24 June 2016). "New construction in the heart of Chinatown? How Chinese Hospital accomplished the impossible [BLOG]". SFGate. Retrieved 14 October 2016.Â
- "Chinese Hospital". flickr. San Francisco Public Library. Retrieved 14 October 2016. A collection of photographs and news clippings detailing the history of Chinese Hospital.
- "Chinese Hospital". flickr. San Francisco Film Office. Retrieved 14 October 2016. A collection of photographs showing the exterior of the 1924 building.
