>> i am an ear, nose, and throw commission practicing in chinatown. this is my 35th year. i am here to voice my support for the building of a new hospital. i was born in san francisco at chinese hospital. this is 16 years after it opened, on jackson street. this was 1925 when a hospital was built. i grew up in chinatown and went to one of the good public schools, a couple of blocks from the hospital. i went to francisco junior high school.

after medical school in new orleans, i chose to come back to san francisco and the chinese hospitals to practice. that was 35 years ago. i am here to voice my support for the building of this due structure. why do we support this new structure and the new chinese hospital. it is so important to the community and to san francisco. it is critical for the health and well-being of so many people. first, this is a safety net hospital. for many asian patients, chinese patients, and all people of san francisco. the hospital service the mauling will, low income, disadvantaged, and elderly patients. this service the most vulnerable people. secondly, it has culturally

confident and sensitive health care, providing language access to people who cannot or do not speak english. this is done in a way that is cost-effective. thirdly, this is a community hospital, and this is supported by the community. and the staff are well trained physicians from institutions such as you see san francisco -- the university of california in san francisco. some of us chose to go to your lungs but then we came back. what we need from you in order to continue to serve our community and to meet the health care needs of a vulnerable population is your support to help move this project along. the information supports the need for the chinese hospital. we need and we thank you for

your support. >> thank you very much. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am the public policy manager at chinatown community development center. i am here to express our support for the chinese hospital, and for getting this through in a timely fashion so that we can begin with the process of approving the project. chinatown community development center is a 34 year old organization that has served chinatown in numerous capacities. we build affordable housing and we engage and work with neighborhoods and residence, and we have been deeply involved with the community planning aspect of chinatown. we were instrumental in 1986 along with a number of other people in getting the chinatown

area master plan through. we believe that this hospital and the rebuilding in the uses of the hospital are actually consistent with this area plan. i want to jump back for a moment and say, i have been an attorney for a long time, about five years at the asian law caucus, before i was at the community development center. in one instance, i remembered that we were dealing with the eviction of the building of 53 columbus street. we were asking the people why they would not just take the movement -- the movement agreement. the answer, one of the strongest dancers they gave was that they wanted to be close to chinese hospital. you have to be close because for the seniors living in chinatown, they need to be within walking distance of a

culturally appropriate and linguistically of corporate health care center. chinese hospital was the key. the second thing i want to say about the process is that this has then absolutely delightful process. as opposed to the typical situation, where we have to meet with developers, we were contacted proactively on numerous occasions by chinese hospital. they engaged us and we believe that they engaged the community, and as a result, even if it were not such a strong institution, we feel like there was a strong level of trust with chinese hospital around the process of rebuilding his institution. we know that this will require an expansion of the existing on the low, and there will be a design impact on chinatown. but given the conversations with chinese hospital, and the efforts they have gone through

to make certain the impact will be minimized, and there is a significant utility usage of the hospital. we are confident that this is going to benefit the community. thank you very much. >> good afternoon. he covered a lot with chinatown and i wanted that that we have thousands of residents and communities that we work with and believe me -- there will be contributing with the chinese hospital. the community needed a hospital and this created it. i will share a fun story. why was a kid in the late '50s, i had chest pain. my parents were working day and night at a garment factory. i was very frightened.

there were no stories about chinese hospital. they said -- i was very scared. but the doctors were very cool. i had to go back and i got used to this. i believe that we deserve a state of the art hospital. everyone would agree to that. this is based on the community for this model. you will see the seniors hanging out there in front. how many people hang out in front of all hospital? what we need is your support. in san francisco, anything can happen. this is a haunting place and we deserve better. we know that you will help us push this through. and my son practiced at cannon house, for the residence of a growing community. we need to serve more as the

community expands. your blessing would be a great gift and your advocacy. i can see this helping. i do not want to make this too personal. but the residence -- they are proud of a legacy in the beginning but now the best community support that you'll ever find. 22 blessed this project. we need to have your blessing today. thank you so much. >> that afternoon. i have the honor of calling him. does so with self-help from the elderly -- for the elderly. we have been observing the chinese 24 the past 45 years and we started in chinatown and still were the roots are.

we serve much of the same population as chinese hospital. i am here to show our support of the chinese hospital master plan. we have focused on providing care the chinese community with the bilingual and by cultural staff in the neighborhood way. and although they continue to serve all of san francisco, this has remained part of the neighborhood. it is also important to recognize that this is a nonprofit organization, and i think that as a fellow nonprofit agency, we recognize the importance of this and of maintaining these neighborhood community services. people are more likely to use services in their backyard and that is what chinese hospital is like for many of the residence. not only provide a vital role in providing health care, they do this as a community partner. their work with the agencies and other groups on all sorts of things.

health care and preserving the wellness, health care is the primary function. they do a lot for the community. we have worked with chinese hospital in home at hat -- home health, and this is one of the biggest referrals with the servicing population. we do focus on the bilingual staff. we work to keep people out of the hospital, making certain that there transitioning home safely. we have parted with them on a number of projects, and this is very exciting that we are looking to put into 22 new skilled nursing beds and this is a major problem in this city. so many people are just sent out of the neighborhood. and it is more challenging for family members to see them. and this is part of the transition process. we're here to ask you for your support to keep them a vital part of the community.

>> hello, commissioners. i am the current chief of staff chinese hospital. i have been in practice for 13 years. i have had the privilege of growing up in chinatown and being allowed to practice at chinese hospital. i stand before you can ask for your support for the rebuilding of this hospital for many reasons. for example, i am proud to say that when the hospital collaborates with the physicians in many of these endeavors, such as community health care, we educate and unable and empower the patients to take charge of the health care. and also, the collaboration between the hospital and

physician groups in chinatown to bring awareness and screening some for the hepatitis patients, along with collaboration between the hospital and the physicians and their screenings, to bring awareness and provide for the physicians to perform screenings for colon cancer, it is with pride -- when i walk into the chinese hospital lobby, and i see many residents of the community gathered there to wait for the test, they gathered there for a sense of security and a cultural feeling of acceptance. it is with great pride that i say that -- this comes together,

under the leadership, there could have been strong advocacy of the community activists and leaders, and also under the able leadership of our cable ceo. i would like to end by using a well-known phrase by a chinese philosopher. the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. the journey of this began with the first step, and your support today is crucial in moving this project forward, so that we complete this journey. this is one of many steps that must be taken before this comes to fruition. we look forward to breaking

ground in late 2011 or early 2012. thank you. >> good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of the institutional master plan for chinese hospital. i am the director of program operations. we began nearly 40 years ago in the chinatown with beach community of san francisco, serving seniors to this health center and we went on to develop the program of care for the elderly, an integrated model of care. the prototype of this model is the long-term care services provider program designed to her -- help the frail seniors remain in their home for as long as possible rather than being institutionalized. this was nationally replicated and this is in 30 states across

the country. in san francisco, what does this mean? we are serving 900 frail seniors in san francisco and almost 500 of them are in the chinatown community. we have worked closely with chinese hospital since the program began with the commitment to meet the cultural and linguistic needs of these seniors receiving care through the program and these organizations. most of the seniors we serve in the chinatown community still live here because of the support of organizations like chinese hospital. the average age is 83 and all of them to qualify to move in a nursing home level of care. will continue to have an import relationship with chinese hospital, -- to have an important relationship with members of this community. this is a social place and this

helps to build the independent -- the overall well-being, the overall health of the people we are serving. i want to thank you for the chance to share support and we look forward to having your support for the institutional master plan for chinese hospital. >> good afternoon. i am the executive director of the chinese health coalition. i am here to talk in the half -- on behalf of the health coalition in support of the chinese hospital and i urge you to support this as well. for those of you are not familiar with us, we are a partnership of 30 health and human services organizations. since 1985, we have provided advocacy and training, research and community programs both for the benefit of the community in the innovations that are part of

the coalition. chinese hospital is a fine -- founding member and we have a very active partner on the board as well as in the program. chinese hospital is unique in that we are very important part of the community. they not just where this label, the actually live this. they have been collaborating with many members, and have supported the efforts by hosting our meetings and providing monetary support and other support as necessary. for more than a century -- they have provided care to the chinese immigrant population. my family has been part of this as well. my parents first use chinese hospital and many children of mine also born at chinese hospital.

when i was 14 years old -- my grandmother had severe abdominal pain. the first place we thought the taker was chinese hospital. there will couple of teenagers who were shot in chinatown. the first place went to was chinese hospital. this speaks volumes to what chinese hospital is like and how this represents the community. chinese hospital is an active member of the chinatown disaster preparedness committee and is expected to play a major role in the neighborhood disaster fund, so we are very much looking forward to meeting the seismic requirements without delay. both the prospective of providing services for the community as well as a consumer of health care services, i ask you to support chinese hospital. >> thank you. dustin ho, and lee man kitt and jim yue.

i may mispronounce that. >> good afternoon. i am in intern cardiologist. my office is in chinatown and has been for over 15 years. i am currently the president of the chinese committee health care organization, representing over 180 physicians in san francisco. most of us use chinese hospital as a place to care for our patients. most of them are seniors who are poorly educated. we have witnessed the care provided by the hospital. many years ago, i also benefited from the generosity of a hospital. i was a student at berkeley, and i was able to get immunization, and these other things that were needed for medical school

registration. and after i graduated from georgetown, i immediately decided i want to come back to the city, to serve my community. with the newly constructed hospital, will be able to continue these traditions, with new technology and also the care will be much more effective and efficient with very limited health care dollars. the physicians fully support this hospital rebuilding project and hopefully we will be able to win your support also. thank you. [spealinking foreign language]

>> i am trying to translate what she has said. she has the member of this hospital health plan for nine years. and she really likes the services there, and she hopes that you can all support chinese hospital. >> thank you very much. >> i think that this is the end of the list. we have a couple of speaker cards. gwan hu chin >> [speaking foreign language]

>> good afternoon. i am the present of the largest tenant organization in the city, with modeling will single tenants. i would like to express our support for the chinese hospital [speaking foreign language]

>> my family emigrated here in 1992 and i have been living in the north beach neighborhood. my wife and i would go to chinese hospital for the annual checkups. recently, my wife had eye surgery, both of them at chinese hospital. not only do we trust this facility but we were able to use our native language for these services. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> chinese hospital is a unit cost a with a long and rich history of culturally sensitive health care to the community. this is easily accessible, with the medical needs of the house -- of the chinese population in reducing the problems for the seniors. a better hospital that if the generations to come and ask you to support the chinese hospital project. thank you. [applause]

[speaking foreign language] >> that evening, commissioners. i am the president of the resident improvement organization. this is established by residents of the public housing in chinatown. we have 443rd households -- 443

households with immigrants and seniors. [speaking foreign language]

>> we're here to support the development of the new chinese hospital in chinatown. this is one of the best neighborhoods in the city. the chinese hospital is the only hospital in chinatown with an emergency room -- with the capacity and the cultural capabilities. we to encourage the seniors to seek out medical care intensively, and the chinese hospitals serve this very well in our community. [speaking foreign language]

>> furthermore, chinese hospital provides other services besides medical care, helping the low income seniors apply for procedures with medicare. many of the tenants are living on fixed income. we ask you to support the -- this hospital in the city. >> we have no more speaker cards. are there any additional public comments? >> i have one more letter that i would like to read very quickly,

and this is from the executive director of the chinese progressive association. i submit this, letter today to express the chinese progressive association support of the institutional master plan because we believe that this is an important historical institution that has served the community for decades. last november, we led the effort to pass legislation with the supervisors that would direct the department of public health and the planning department to create a health care service master plan. we work with chinese hospital to make certain that the legislation to support community hospitals and hold the large institutions by the california specific -- pacific medical center accountable to the community to ensure greater access to health care services for all communities. this is a