CPMC agrees to keep St. Luke’s subacute unit open after weeks of public pressure

San Francisco — California Pacific Medical Center told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that it will keep patients now in St. Luke’s Hospital’s subacute unit in San Francisco while it works with state regulators and city agencies to identify long‑term in‑county placements.

The announcement followed weeks of public organizing by family members, nurses and community groups and a special Board Committee of the Whole hearing called by Supervisors Asha Safaí and Hillary Ronen. CPMC said it will continue to provide in‑county care to “all the patients we currently care for on the subacute facility” and will attempt to return one patient who has already been transferred out of county, if regulators allow and the family requests it.

Why it matters: St. Luke’s subacute unit was the county’s only hospital‑based subacute facility. Supervisors, patient advocates and clinicians said the closure would have forced many patients to move out of San Francisco, disrupting family access and end‑of‑life care, and would have…