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San Francisco DPH says EPIC go‑live proceeding with support teams; activates congenital syphilis response
Summary
DPH Director Grant Colfax told the commission that EPIC went live Aug. 3 with thousands of staff hours and over 4,700 service tickets opened; no patient-harm events reported so far. Colfax also said the department activated a 6–12 month response to congenital syphilis and is responding to CDPH deficiencies at Laguna Honda.
Grant Colfax, San Francisco's Director of Health, told the Department of Public Health Commission on Aug. 6 that the department's EPIC electronic health record went live at 2 a.m. on Aug. 3 and that teams across the health network have been supporting clinicians through the transition.
"So the big news is that we are epic go live. We went live at 2AM on Saturday, August 3," Colfax said, reporting that so far there have been no patient-harm events and that the department opened more than 4,700 service tickets, with the majority resolved. He emphasized the value of "super users" and in-person support at facilities including Zuckerberg and Laguna Honda during the first days of go‑live.
Colfax also reported the department received a formal statement of deficiencies from the California Department of Public Health regarding Laguna Honda on July 23 and submitted a plan of correction on Aug. 2 to update standards and procedures. Separately, he said the Department Operations Center is activated for an anticipated 6-to-12-month response to rising congenital syphilis, with interdepartmental coordination and culturally competent outreach; he will serve as incident commander for August.
Commissioners questioned Colfax about data mapping errors, preventing workarounds, and ensuring adequate face‑to‑face support; Colfax said staff are triaging issues in real time and prioritizing patient safety. The commission also received assurances about facility testing at Hunters Point Building 606 (radiological, water and asbestos testing reported negative; bottled water provided historically for lead concerns).
