MEDIA STATEMENT
Attribute statement to:
Michael Anderson, MD, MBA, FAAP
President, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals
When Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland became part of the
University of California on Jan. 1, 2014, the affiliation linked a renowned, standalone children’s hospital with one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers.
These two entities shared a common vision: the development of a single children’s
health enterprise on two campuses, serving all children regardless of ability to pay,
achieving financial stability, elevating quality of care for all children, and supporting
innovations to improve the health of children locally and globally.
Today, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals continues to maintain that common
mission of improving pediatric health through discoveries, caring for the Bay Area’s
most vulnerable children and training the next generation of physicians.
Since the affiliation, the two UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals have been developing
and implementing integration plans to advance this mission at the very highest
level, while making efficient use of financial and other resources. The integration of
these two highly ranked hospitals will enable the combined UCSF Benioff Children’s
Hospitals to better serve our local communities, as well as patients at the state,
national and international levels, regardless of financial status.
Public service is at the heart of the University of California. Central to the affiliation
of these two children’s hospitals is the commitment to ensuring that our Oakland
hospital maintains its ability to serve the neediest children – now and into the
future. Since the affiliation, UCSF has invested tens of millions of dollars into UCSF
Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland to ensure that our combined mission of service
to all children is not – and will not be – compromised.
UCSF has also welcomed and continues to welcome the involvement of Oakland
physicians in the integration, including working together on faculty committees.
UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood has pledged to redouble our efforts to include
Oakland physicians in leadership opportunities.
Integrating two top-caliber institutions is a complex process that will continue to
evolve. Throughout the effort, the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Board of
Directors – the affiliated organization’s governing body – is taking the time to be
thoughtful and incorporate many perspectives from both Oakland and San
Francisco, with the ultimate goal of best serving the needs of children on both sides
of the Bay.
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