San Francisco Department of Public Health officials told the Health Commission on Oct. 6 that they remain actively engaged in oversight and advocacy around cleanup at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and have opened an environmental medicine clinic at the Southeast Family Health Center to serve Bayview residents.

The updates matter to Bayview Hunters Point residents because the U.S. Navy is the lead federal agency responsible for investigation and remediation of contamination at the former shipyard, and regulators and the city are assessing how climate-driven sea-level rise and groundwater changes could affect cleanup remedies already planned for the site. "The U.S. Navy is the lead federal agency responsible for investigating and remediating the site," said Susan Philip, the city’s health officer and director of the Population Health Division. "We remain closely engaged, reviewing technical information and advocating for health-protective measures on behalf of the community."

DPH said the Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board provide regulatory oversight while other agencies — including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and California Department of Public Health — play supportive roles. The department emphasized that it does not have regulatory authority over the Navy’s cleanup but said it will continue to review testing data and press for protective practices.

DPH described a 2024 Navy five-year review that for the first time included a climate-resilience assessment projecting potential flooding and rising groundwater in parts of the shipyard by mid-century. In response, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, with funding from the Board of Supervisors (led by Supervisor Shamann Walton), commissioned an independent study to model sea-level and groundwater rise effects at the site; DPH staff are assisting the SFPUC with data and historical context. DPH said the SFPUC-selected contractor’s report is expected to be released in 2026.

To address local clinical needs tied to environmental exposures, DPH announced a new environmental health service at the Southeast Family Health Center in the Bayview. The clinic, developed with pro bono support from UCSF’s Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health Clinic, will offer specialized clinical evaluation and care related to environmental exposures such as asthma and lead and will track utilization and outcomes over time. "This clinic is a direct response to valuable feedback from community leaders," said Dr. Nena Okoye, medical director for climate health and chronic disease prevention. Okoye credited the clinic’s development to close work with the health center’s community advisory board and patient advisory council.

DPH also described outreach and education work: community events during SF Climate Week, youth-focused environmental workshops, regular attendance at the Navy Citizens Advisory Committee and Air District–resident meetings, and an upcoming presentation to the Bayview Alliance to deepen community engagement.

Community members and artists at the meeting praised the new clinic but urged broader action on social determinants of health. Artist and Shipyard Trust for the Arts president Barbara Akerl told commissioners the artists who occupy parts of the shipyard have not seen documented disease clusters but asked DPH to expand the clinic’s scope to the full range of environmental and social drivers affecting Bayview residents.

DPH said it will make findings from the SFPUC sea-level/groundwater study accessible to the public and will press regulators to revisit remedy plans if the independent study shows the need for changes. The department pledged to continue quarterly and ad hoc coordination with regulators and to report back to the commission as new data or regulatory milestones arise.

Ending: DPH officials said they will return to the commission with further updates after the SFPUC study and as regulatory milestones proceed, and they urged residents to use the Southeast Family Health Center’s new environmental health services for clinical concerns related to exposures.