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DPH director outlines new treatment‑bed expansions, $21 million for locked subacute beds at San Francisco General
Summary
Director Evelyn Tsai told the Health Commission the department won state capital funding including roughly $21 million for San Francisco General to convert two floors to locked subacute units and secured funding to renovate a dual‑diagnosis residential program.
San Francisco Department of Public Health Director Evelyn Tsai told the Health Commission the department has won state funding for capital projects and is expanding treatment‑level capacity across the city.
Tsai said the department requested multiple items under the state's Proposition 1 funding and received support for two of the six requests. She told commissioners that the first award—about $21,000,000—will fund conversion of two floors at San Francisco General Hospital into locked subacute units, increasing the city's capacity for people who require locked, subacute care but not full inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. "We received good news around the 21,000,000 of state funding to be able to do the conversion at San Francisco General," Tsai said.
Tsai said the department did not receive funding for a separate request with UCSF to convert 50–56 beds at St. Francis and that discussions with partners will continue to address remaining gaps in locked acute and step‑down capacity.
The director also said the department received capital funding to upgrade and reopen a dual‑diagnosis residential treatment program at 333 Seventh Street to serve people with co‑occurring mental health and substance use disorders. She described the broader strategic roadmap as expanding both treatment beds and new models such as RESTORE and adding clinical capacity in shelter and other settings.
Tsai described ongoing resident transition plans for the first and second floors of the Behavioral Health Center at San Francisco General, which she said currently house about 80 people. She said staff would conduct one‑on‑one casework and that transitions to newly added board‑and‑care or residential sites would not begin before fall. "Staff, resident transitions will not happen before fall of this year," she said, adding that some new capacity is planned in Hayes Valley.
Public comment during the meeting included appeals related to safety‑net services. Patrick Monette Shaw (speaking as a member of the public) urged the commission to press city offices to backfill federal cuts to Meals on Wheels. He described a neighbor who stood to lose meal deliveries and asked the city to coordinate DPH, the Department of Disability and Aging Services, the Department of Homelessness and Housing Services and the mayor's budget office to preserve services.
A separate public commenter criticized the planned reopening of locked beds at the MHRF and said the planned remodel at the MHRF would cost about $27,600,000; the commenter urged the commission not to repurpose long‑term care beds. Those remarks were part of public comment and did not represent a commission action.
Commissioners asked for a clear snapshot of bed targets, types and timelines; Tsai and staff agreed to return with a summary showing current capacity, beds planned for the coming 12–24 months and how new beds map to prior needs assessments. The commission accepted the director's report for discussion and follow‑up.
