Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that today, the Regents of the University of California affirmed UCSF Health moving forward with negotiations to acquire Dignity Health’s clinical presence in San Francisco, including St. Mary’s Medical Center (SMMC), Saint Francis Memorial Hospital (SFMH) and associated outpatient and urgent care clinics.

As I shared last week, this is an important opportunity to enhance the complementary services provided by SMMC and SFMH while expanding access to UCSF Health’s world-class, research-driven care for more San Franciscans. It is important that we preserve the unique services these hospitals provide in San Francisco, while increasing our capacity to meet rising patient demand for our services in the community.

We remain committed to investing in UCSF Health—our people, our systems, and our operations—to make it easier for our providers and staff to have a major impact on the health of our community. As we move forward in our discussions with Dignity Health, UCSF Health will continue its current efforts to transform our health system to one that is more agile and patient-centered: improving patient access and flow, while investing in information technology and increasing support services for our clinical teams. This work will enable us to function more efficiently as a unified health system and effectively position us to begin integration with the Dignity Health hospitals.

With the UC Regents’ vote to delegate authority to UCSF Health, we can proceed with negotiations and work toward successfully completing this acquisition. Connecting with our community—including physicians and employees at Dignity Health and UCSF Health—is a key part of this process. Over the next several months we will engage in robust stakeholder discussion, customary due diligence, and research as we work together to advance the health of San Francisco.

I am excited and optimistic for what this acquisition means for San Francisco and UCSF and will continue to keep you informed as we move forward.

Thank you for all that you do for our community and one another.

Suresh Gunasekaran
President and CEO
UCSF Health