Perched atop the Broadway Tunnel in San Francisco, the historic Chinatown Public Health Center will undergo a long-awaited seismic retrofit and modern upgrade to continue serving Chinatown’s immigrant community well into the future
At the groundbreaking ceremony in front of the Mason Street address on a blustery, grey Tuesday, city Department of Public Health Director Dan Tsai quipped that the center is “the most seismically unstable anywhere of our DPH clinics.”
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For 55 years, the Chinatown Public Health Center has provided primary care services, including tuberculosis and cancer screenings, vaccines, and chronic disease management to a patient population of which more than 90% are Chinese assistant director of public affairs at the city Department of Public Health
“This was an important center and the face of public health here in our community,” said San Francisco Health Commissioner Dr. Edward Chow, who has held the position since 1989. “This is often the entrance to Western healthcare for so many of our vulnerable people.”
In addition to primary care, the health center provides behavioral health, dental care and acupuncture and handles 20,000 patient visits per year. Eighty percent of the medical care at the health center is provided in a language other than English
Funding for the health center upgrade, which costs $71 million, comes from the 2024 Healthy, Safe and Vibrant San Francisco Bond, a voter-approved measure totaling $390 million. San Francisco Public Works will manage the retrofit and upgrade
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“The Chinatown Public Health Center is a cornerstone for the Chinese and the AAPI immigrant communities and for families across San Francisco who rely on culturally competent care,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “This health center was built out of necessity by the Chinese immigrants who were once shut out of San Francisco’s hospitals and clinics.”
Kit Chan, originally from Hong Kong and a retired nurse manager at the Chinatown Public Health Center, was at the ceremony and applauded the start of the center’s structural overhaul. Chan worked in the clinic for 27 years providing culturally competent care for her patients, she said
Chan remembered that when one of her patients balked at breast cancer screening, she was able to coax her into obtaining a mammogram. She also gave COVID-19 vaccines to patients who were skeptical of vaccines. Chan said she even participated in the launch of the Hepatitis B vaccine program at the health center when Governor Gavin Newsom was a mere district supervisor
Lurie reminded the crowd that the health center’s upgrade would not be possible without the investment from San Francisco residents
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“As the federal government cuts health care for our families, we are continuing to step up,” said Lurie. “Because no matter what happens elsewhere in this country, San Franciscans should know they can count on their city.”
The Chinatown Public Health Center has been temporarily relocated a few blocks away on the fourth floor of the Chinese Hospital on Jackson Street. Patients can see their regular providers and obtain the usual medical services at this location
Stay informed, and entertained.
The Mason Street health center upgrade is expected to last 30 months spokesperson for the Department of Public Works. According to Wu, the Broadway Tunnel is expected to close fully during one weekend early in the project. During the ensuing 14 months, the tunnel will have only one-lane traffic in both directions
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A bilingual website and newsletter will keep residents apprised of ongoing construction and traffic changes and can be found here: https://sfpublicworks.org/Chinatown-Public-Health-Center
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