University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health is set to strengthen two community hospitals in San Francisco, US, as part of a $430m, multiyear initiative aimed at ensuring accessible and integrated care throughout the city.

This is planned to be achieved through investments in operations, facilities, and technology.

Following the acquisition of the sites in August 2024, UCSF Health has improved core facilities, expanded services, and strengthened inpatient coverage at both Saint Francis and St. Mary’s Hospitals.

So far, the health system has integrated electronic medical record systems and increased the use of catheterisation and cardiology labs at these hospitals.

It also modernised the IT infrastructure and improved imaging and diagnostic technology across both hospitals. As a result, clinicians and patients now have a unified access point for their health information.

UCSF Health is taking measures to enhance the integration of these hospitals within the wider network, ensuring that physicians, staff, and patients recognise them as integral components of a cohesive system of care.

UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital will be renamed UCSF Health Hyde Hospital while UCSF Health St. Mary’s Hospital will become UCSF Health Stanyan Hospital.

This transition will occur over several months as the hospitals gradually adopt the new names across all signage, materials, and systems.

Community physicians have become part of the hospitals' open medical staff, enhancing expertise in psychiatry, primary care, infectious diseases, and endocrinology.

Additionally, UCSF faculty physicians now offer their services in various specialisations, including gastroenterology, critical care, neurology, pulmonology, hospital medicine, neurosurgery, and cardiology.

Together, the UCSF medical staff and faculty are improving coordination, reducing wait times, and enabling more patients to access care closer to home.

UCSF Health president and CEO Suresh Gunasekaran said: “Our community hospitals are vital to keeping high-quality care within reach for San Franciscans.

"We're building on that strength through investments that expand access, connect services, and create a unified system of excellent care across UCSF Health.”