Setting the Record Straight About the UCSF-Oakland Affiliation

The affiliation is harming BCH Oakland's financial health.

The opposite is actually true. The affiliation rescued BCH Oakland after years of being financially vulnerable.

• Since 2014, UCSF's direct contributions have resulted in more than $181M for BCH Oakland's care of pediatric Medi-Cal patients in Alameda County.
• The affiliation brought in more than $200 million in philanthropy for building programs and supporting operations for Oakland.
• Because of UCSF's support, BCH Oakland has been able to survive financially during the COVID pandemic.

The affiliation has reduced children's services in Oakland.

This rumor gets it wrong. In fact, the affiliation has:

• Enabled Oakland's Pediatric Trauma Center to remain in Oakland, when more than 40 California hospitals have closed their emergency departments.
• Expanded BCH Oakland's specialty programs – such as physical rehabilitation – and upgraded services that were unavailable or had declined.
• Recruited new doctors in neurology, neurosurgery and gastroenterology.
• Rebuilt Oakland's cardiology program, with a larger cardiac team and more heart surgery services.
• Added new programs in dermatology, rheumatology, gender identity, headache, sports medicine, concussions and Down Syndrome.
• Set up new Oakland physician practices in orthopedics, ear/nose/throat and pulmonology.
• Expanded mental health care for children, enrolling 42 pediatric practices in its psychiatry telehealth program so far, covering more than 200,000 children.
• Added 220 community physicians to its primary care pediatrician network, reaching 56 locations in 24 cities.

Oakland's patients are being sent to San Francisco, reducing the options for low-income patients.

This is a misleading statement. In fact, because of the affiliation, Oakland children have access to more options for their care.

• UCSF Health is well known for offering specialty care that can't be found in most hospitals in Northern California. That care is now accessible to BCH Oakland patients, too.
• Children can receive care in either hospital, based on their medical needs – not their insurance coverage.
• More than 180 UCSF doctors practice in Oakland, with about half of them there full-time, to bring more specialty care directly to Oakland patients.
• Since the affiliation, the Benioff Children's Hospitals – together – have ranked among the top hospitals nationwide in all 10 specialties by US News & World Report, which neither had achieved on its own.
• This care is available to all patients, in either hospital, regardless of their ability to pay.

The affiliation is taking resources out of Oakland and sending them to San Francisco.

The millions of dollars in investment made in Oakland since the affiliation show that this claim is simply false.

• We continue to invest in Oakland facilities to help ensure its status as a world-class safety net hospital and Level One Pediatric Trauma Center for years to come.
• More than $200M in investments in Oakland facilities have already been made, and the goal is to complete another $120M in projects by the end of 2022, focused on seismic upgrades and modernizing our acute care services.
• This includes $90 million in philanthropy to support the new BCH Oakland outpatient clinic – a state-of-the-art facility that expanded outpatient care by 40%.
• We expect to start phase 2 soon of the Oakland expansion soon, launching an estimated $1 billion, 10-year initiative that will include a new patient pavilion.
• The affiliation allowed BCH Oakland to access $50 million in bond funds to improve its intensive care units, inpatient areas and seismic safety.
• The investment in Oakland's Electronic Health Record system has helped the hospital reduce costs, improve efficiency and provide better care for patients.

The affiliation has reduced health equity and hurt vulnerable children in the Oakland community.

In fact, serving the most vulnerable is at the center of both UCSF's and BCH Oakland's missions. It guides everything we do.

• Nearly 70% of BCH Oakland's patients receive care under Medi-Cal. No child is turned away due to a family's inability to pay.
• We are strengthening programs that matter most to our Oakland community, including ACEs research and care, and sickle cell therapies.
  • Since the affiliation, Oakland's expertise in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has led to a screening tool that is now used in children's clinics statewide.
  • BCH Oakland's Sickle Cell Disease Center is one of the largest pediatric-adult centers in the world, and we are continuing to expand care for patients and research into new therapies to treat this debilitating condition.
• We are building diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to support our staff and the community around us.
  • Oakland's DEI efforts focus on workforce development and staff training, as part of health equity.
  • Our DEI Council is partnering with UCSF to study how patients' health is affected by race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Our goal is to translate that research into better care and equity for the families we serve.
• We are working with our community leaders to get input on hospital decisions that impact them.
• Our Community Advisory Board has 17 diverse members of Oakland's business, community clinics and our Oakland communities to weigh in on our plans.