UCSF Medical Center Opens $1.5 Billion, “Next Generation” Hospital Complex at Mission Bay Campus on Feb. 1, 2015

After more than 10 years of planning and construction, UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay will open Feb. 1, 2015 on UC San Francisco’s world-renowned biomedical research campus. UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay comprises UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital, UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital and UCSF Ron Conway Family Gateway Medical Building. The new facilities include a 289-bed hospital complex, with children’s emergency and outpatient services that will integrate research and medical advancements with patient-focused, compassionate care.​

UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay will welcome its first patients the morning of Feb. 1, when teams of health care professionals and ambulances begin moving some inpatients from the UCSF Parnassus campus and Mount Zion campus into the new facilities.

The new medical center, strategically located on UCSF’s 60.2-acre Mission Bay research campus, will enhance UCSF’s ecosystem of innovation by putting physicians in close proximity to researchers and near biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in Mission Bay and beyond. The new cancer hospital, for example, will sit near the UCSF Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building, where every day leading scientists are seeking causes and cures for cancer.

UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay also will feature the only operating hospital helipad in San Francisco to transport critically ill babies, children and pregnant women to the medical center from outlying hospitals.

“UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay profoundly advances our ability to fulfill our mission as a public hospital, providing high-quality health care that meets the future needs of the entire Bay Area,” said Mark R. Laret, CEO, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “By embedding clinical care within our research enterprise at Mission Bay, UCSF physicians and scientists in the forefront of cancer medicine, and women’s and children’s health will be able to more readily translate discoveries into next-generation therapies and cures.”

Each of the new hospitals’ designs reflects significant input from patients and families, as well as clinicians.

“UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay sets a national benchmark for patient- and family-centered health care by offering an unparalleled healing environment that supports and connects patients and their families during hospital stays,” said Cindy Lima, executive director, UCSF Mission Bay Hospitals Project. “These new hospitals expand our capacity to provide the most advanced treatments in buildings that reflect input from the people who will use them.”

The hospitals feature state-of-the art technology, including the world’s largest hospital fleet of autonomous robotic couriers which will deliver linens, meals and medications. Interactive media walls in each private room will enable patients to communicate with their families and clinicians, and an imaging suite specially designed to eliminate anxiety during an MRI offers children the chance to virtually experience a San Francisco trolley ride, or to play with a cast of animated critters as they boat around the San Francisco Bay.

Distinctive features of UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay include 4.3 acres of green space and 1.2 acres of rooftop gardens, soothing art- and light-filled interiors and a public plaza created in partnership with the City of San Francisco. In addition, UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay is on target to be one of the first LEED Gold certified hospitals in California.

The Integrated Center for Design and Construction brought together more than 200 architects, engineers and contractors working side by side in a command center on the construction site. Construction of the hospitals began in December 2010.

“The healing power of UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay extends beyond the hospitals’ walls, as clinicians and researchers work side by side to accelerate medical breakthroughs and transform the delivery of health care in this country,” said Sam Hawgood, MBBS, chancellor of UC San Francisco. “It’s important to note that the hospital complex was built only through the generous philanthropic support of the Bay Area community, who share our vision of advancing health care across the world. We are greatly appreciative of their unwavering commitment to our mission over the past decade. ”

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, one of the nation’s leading children's hospitals, provides treatment for virtually all pediatric conditions, as well as for critically ill newborns. The Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco was one of the first of its kind in the world. The hospital is the only California state-designated children’s medical center in San Francisco and is affiliated with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.

The new 183-bed facility at Mission Bay creates an environment where children and their families find quality care at the forefront of scientific discovery. Private rooms in the intensive care nursery support the youngest patients, while the fully accredited classroom and teachers enable school-age patients to continue their education while focusing on their health. The hospital offers accommodations for families of pediatric patients and nearby lodging for those requiring longer stays.

UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital

UCSF ranks consistently among the top cancer care centers in the nation, according to the “America’s Best Hospitals” survey from U.S. News & World Report. UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital sets the standard in personalized care, delivering advanced cancer therapies tailored to individual patient needs. The hospital increases UCSF’s inpatient and outpatient capacity to meet growing demand, in a state-of-the-art facility. The new hospital will absorb many of the cancer surgery beds currently located at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion, offering cancer surgeries in specialties ranging from urology and orthopedics, to head and neck and gynecologic oncology. Specialists also serve the individual needs of cancer patients from the children’s and women’s hospitals. In the future, Mission Bay could house as many as 250 or more surgery beds, with a full complement of outpatient cancer care services.

UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital

As the region’s first dedicated women’s hospital, UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital will embody the philosophy of the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. The new hospital will deliver care that addresses health needs across a woman’s lifetime, including cancer treatment, specialty surgery, a 36-bed birth center, nine deluxe labor and delivery rooms, and select outpatient services. Customizing care to each patient, the hospital will provide the best available diagnostic tests and treatments in a caring, women- and family-focused environment that incorporates the latest technology. Spacious rooms allow loved ones to spend the day or night comfortably.

Each labor and delivery room is designed to be respectful to patients and families during the life-altering event of childbirth. Combining sophisticated technical capabilities with carefully considered design choices, each room emits a sense of calm for the birthing experience. At the same time, it is a highly functional space for clinicians to provide quality care.

UCSF Ron Conway Family Gateway Medical Building

Positioned as the anchor for the hospital complex, UCSF Ron Conway Family Gateway Medical Building will serve 1,500 outpatient visitors daily. The 207,500-square-foot facility will offer patients a personalized approach to health care, while embracing innovation, collaboration and cutting-edge technologies.

The location will provide clinics for women, cancer and pediatric patients. It will house 180 exam rooms and include procedure and specialty rooms, such as audiology booths, dialysis and chemotherapy infusion bays. Some outpatient clinics will begin opening Jan. 26.

Additionally, UCSF Ron Conway Family Gateway Medical Building will serve as a training facility for the next generation of medical leaders.

About UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay

UCSF Medical Center consistently ranks as one of the top 10 hospitals in the United States. Recognized for innovative treatments, advanced technology, collaboration among health care professionals and scientists, and a highly compassionate patient care team, UCSF Medical Center serves as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco. The medical center's nationally preeminent programs include children’s health, the brain and nervous system, organ transplantation, women’s health and cancer. It operates as a self-supporting enterprise within UCSF and generates its own revenues to cover the operating costs of providing patient care.