FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Department of Public Works 415.554.6931

San Francisco General Hospital 415.206.3170

February 10, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL HOSPITAL REBUILD SEES SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS IN INITIAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS

SAN FRANCISCO (February 10, 2010) – The rebuild of San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) is off to an excellent start and has achieved significant savings since construction began last October. In all, steel purchases, and bid packages for excavation, site utilities and elevator work have come in at 12 percent below estimates.

"Because of their careful planning, the Department of Public Works has saved the taxpayers a great deal of money and kept the SFGH rebuild moving forward," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "This is exactly the type of fiscal responsibility and stewardship that San Franciscans expect from their government."

The rebuild project broke ground in October 2009, less than a year after 84 percent of San Francisco voters passed Proposition A. The project is financed by $887.4 million in city general obligation bonds and is estimated to create 3,000 jobs. The hospital is required to rebuild in order to meet state seismic standards.

“The Department of Public Works’ focus is on exceeding expectations while delivering world-class public projects on time and within budget,” said Ed Reiskin, Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW), which provides overall program management of the construction and design of the General Hospital Rebuild project. “With the announcement of these savings, we continue along the path of fiscally responsible engineering, design and construction practices for the City’s major infrastructure improvement projects.”

As San Francisco’s only trauma center, SFGH has the opportunity to serve everyone who lives in, works in or visits the city. It treats 100,000 people per year, receives approximately one-third of the city’s ambulances and provides 20 percent of San Francisco’s inpatient care.

“We are grateful that the people of San Francisco recognize the value of General Hospital,” said Sue Currin, CEO. “We are excited to be bringing them a state-of-the-art facility where we can do an even better job providing high-quality health care for future generations.”

The new building, scheduled for completion in 2015, will be nine stories (seven above ground and two below) and located together with all existing buildings on the Potrero Avenue campus. It will house 284 inpatient beds, 32 more beds than the current hospital.  Patient care areas in the new hospital have been designed to reduce errors and infections and improve quality and nursing care. The hospital will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified and will feature a seismically compliant design allowing the building to move 30 inches in any direction. 

For more information on the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center rebuild, please visitwww.sfdph.org/dph/rebuildSFGH/. 

###