Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health Authority Appointments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules Committee recommends seven appointments to San Francisco Health Authority amid questions about board makeup
Summary
The Rules Committee forwarded seven nominees to the full Board for appointment to the San Francisco Health Authority after hearing applicant statements from health-system leaders and questions about the authority's composition, history and scope. Staff said the authority was created in 1997 and now oversees a plan serving roughly 140,000 members.
The Rules Committee on Feb. 28 recommended seven nominees for appointment to the San Francisco Health Authority and discussed whether the authority's statutory composition remains aligned with current local health-system structures.
Supervisor Yi moved the positive-recommendation motion naming Jian Zhang (hospital council nominee), Emily Webb (incumbent), Sabra Metofsky, Dr. Lawrence Chung (incumbent), Dr. Steven Figaro (incumbent/chair), Steve Fields (absent but supported) and Joseph "Dave" Woods; the motion passed without objection.
Applicants described their experience and priorities. Emily Webb highlighted work on Healthy San Francisco and the health plan's provider network; Sabra Metofsky noted a background leading the San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium; Dr. Lawrence Chung and Dr. Steven Figaro described decades of clinical leadership and oversight roles. Dr. Figaro said the authority manages roughly a "three-quarters of a billion dollar" entity and emphasized quality-improvement work. "It is an extraordinarily feat, especially in light of the fact that the expansion has brought real and accessible healthcare coverage to our county's most vulnerable population," Dr. Chung said.
Sumi Souza, representing the San Francisco Health Plan, answered committee questions about benefit scope: long-term care (skilled nursing) is carved out of Medi-Cal managed care and administered as a fee-for-service state benefit; the plan serves roughly 140,000 San Franciscans with an additional 30,000'to—30,000 people under long-term care outside managed care. Panelists also explained that the authority was created by state statute in 1997 and that the governing charter still reflects legacy seats (for example, a St. Luke's seat) established at that time.
An unidentified public commenter raised concerns tying health-authority rules and affordability thresholds to housing impacts for very low- and low-income residents.
The committee recommended the appointments to the full Board; the matter will return to the Board of Supervisors for final confirmation.
