so that fire was spreading from the back of that building to the exterior both of the other buildings in the back. but members did a great job with an aggressive interior attack, and they kept it just to the exterior of the two exposure buildings. good job by all. that fire also remains under investigation. the third h third second alarm s on march 11th. 43 saw a large column of smoke and called for a second alarm. i don't dissuade, as i said many times before, if the members think they need to pull the hook, pull the hook, we can always call thank back. >them back.and the fire reservei want to mention how much we appreciate their service on the alarms. chief buckley, amazing.

very dedicated, he is always there. and we appreciate it. when we're most tired, they pick up our hose and do all of the things, the auxiliary things, and they do a great job. the notable incidents, coastal rescue below the cliff house on march 17th. extensive rescue efforts concluded with the u.s. coast guard and cutter bringing the victim back to gas house cove, and the victim will recover. on march 24th, there was a multiple shooting in the filmore, and five victims total. we worked well with the p.d., as well as other private ambulances as well, and all units on scene to identify and treat those injured. on march 6th, assistant deputy chief cochran and deputy chief rivera, learned about the rich public safety since the

late 1800s. and on march 6th, community outreach and education and recruitment core movement, and they discussed increasing juvenile and high school, to make them aware of our hiring practices, as well as fire prevention. i would just like to also mention -- this is from the p.i. o., to kelly aldez, who retired on march 30th. he was regarded as a friend, mentor, and dedicated public servant. he'll miss her and wish her the best of luck. i would also say the same thing. she was an excellent, main cog in our office. anything i needed, i would go to her for a document presentation. she knew basically what the city attorney was going to say before they said it. she had a d.h. r. background, and she was invaluable. she was the chief's assistant.

oftentimes she reminded me, you are not my boss. i really loved working with her. she would always give me this expression...she was the best. and it was fun working with her. she is missed. and good luck with what you're doing now, kelly. i'll show a quick power point. >> can we go to the laptop? there you go. >> national women's month was last month. you can see members from station 18, in front of the engine there. more national women's month out to the marina green, and the rock piles. i would be impressed if they made that pile with those hammers, but that's

the picture john gave me. chief hayes-white, meetling with you, too, and the national disaster team. that's the meeting i spoke up eariler with the pacific auxiliary fire alarm. tsunami week prevention education, if there was a tsunami, you wouldn't want to be standing there. s.f.o. multi-agency response drill. coastal safety drills, on going. bay safety drills, as well. i mentioned many times, outreach, if you're in your bedroom, close the door. it could be a thousand degrees or higher on the other side of the door. and 120, 130° on the safe side of the door. so close your door when you go to sleep. community outreach with engine 4 and truck 8, i believe it is across the street from station 8. this is the "sound the alarm" event. that is david chu's son,

with lieutenant baxter. he had a ball. i also understand assemblyman chu, they gave him a helmet as well -- he would hike to be a firefighter. i really believe that. great guy. this fire was the one on whelan, where the guy did a good hose lead to keep it from spreading. i would also like to say congratulations to chief hayes-white. working for her, it was a privilege. i've learned a lot. a strong leader, resilient, care-giver. you mentioned the 14-year-old girl, and she gave care to that family. unbelievable. thank you, chief, and good luck. on to jenin nicholson, congratulations, chief. my dad liked you, but i like her, too. >> i love your dad. >> and she loves my dad, but she likes me.

hard worker, fighter, and survivor. i wish you all of the luck and the administration moving forward, and whatever administration therethere is, i'm going to help in that transition. i read an e-mail i'm being replaced. [inaudible] >> as well as congratulations to deputy chief ello. on the e.m.s., i think we're getting 18 new ones, up to a total of 53 -- is that right, andrew? i'd like to have a third, as i mentioned before -- a third of our workforce. we have approximately 180 out in the street right now. i'd like a third of that. if the numbers have to go up to 100, you should bring it up to 100. the per diems work. i would like to commend

a.d.c. zanoff and cochran on the st. patrick's day parade. they did a good job, as usual. a special accommodation from ab a.d.c. zanoff, and e.m.s. is called several times for their support, and they provided excellent service for our members. e.m.s. has noticed an increase in calls to the stress unit. members are becoming more familiar with speaking up, and i encourage all members to continue to do that. there are pictures -- i didn't have them on the slides, but but there are pictures on page 16, the new medium sized. i i included the identifiable home addresses report for you, commissioner varinici. prevention and

investigation report is also attached to my report. i would like to say that one of the things they did this month was fire marshal, as well as some of his captains, met with two gets from the netherlands, some fire chiefs from there. fire prevention did nine community outreach presentations for the public. i would also like to endorse -- or back up that captain pat, who takes care of our large community development projects, could use some help. he is overseeing about 25 developments right now. he is doing a great job, as well as captain law, he is doing a great job as well. he did a good job of clearing up the street that was blocked by residential parking or access, he did a good job clearing that out, working with the public and working with city hall.

also, the task is the airport -- page 39, the effectiveness of the bike medic, 150 calls last month. a lot of those calls, they save our rigs to stay out on the tar tarmac, and they can take care of a lot of those calls on their own. globally it helps the safety of the whole airport, as well as they're on scene quicker than some of our units would be from the air fielder. and commissioner hartiman wanted to see a video on five. i had to edit the video for time constraints because one of the dheefs chiefs that put the video together put a lot of pictures in it of station 7, and they had nothing to do with it, so i edited them out, but i left the chief in. >> thank you.

>> this building is 62 years old. >> can we go to the laptop. >> with this being an essential facility, this needed to meet that building code, and it was less expensive to demolish and rebuild than to do a seismic upgrade. [sirens] >> san francisco approved 2010 eser general bond that included improvements or replacement to fire station and police stations and other projects. fire station 5, located in the western edition, is very important to the san francisco fire department. not only do we house an engine and a ladder truck there, but we also have or division chief. >> demolition to start in april of 2017, and the completion is scheduled by

the end of this year, 2018. >> fire station 5's first floor is mainly going to be the apparatus, as well as the kitchen, where the firefighters will have their meals, a dining room, a day room for training. on the second floor we have the officers' dormitories, which is four different officer spaces. on the third floor we have all of the firefighters' dormitories. we have a fitness room for the firefighters, and we have a study and a library for the fire department, to study for any e.m.t. exams or any other exams they need to do. >> some of the special features our fire houses require is they have to be built to one and a half times the standards for earthquake requirements because it is considered an essential facility. that means in case of an earthquake or a catastrophic event, that that facility will be standing, and that the firefighters will be able to respond to any incidents in the area. we also have very, very

heavy duty standards when it comes to the weight of our vehicles. the building has to hold not only the weight of our vehicles, and in the case of station 5, it is also a fueling station, so we have diesel fuel available for all the fire engines in the area. >> the station does include elements to make sure they have a rapid response. that's the utmost priority. some of the specific features include the slide poles, that way if they're sleeping, they can get down to the ground floor within seconds. the other feature is the new five-fold doors that the newer stations have. they open very quickly. >> the reason we've gone to this design is that in case of an earthquake, or in case of damage to the door openings, the door will still be able to be opened. and the way it id is opened is actually a release lever, so it is a mechanical release, as opposed to needing electricity to open it. our doors in some cases

open up to 100 times a day. >> there are historical elements being retained from the previous building. the main one is the five-foot-high cast iron lanterns. they were at two previous stations and moved to station 5. and so they have a long history. and they are to be placed inside the apparatus bay. there is an art piece for a new art that is going to be applied as part of the glass. it is a curtain wall above the apparatus bay. the piece of art -- i believe it is called "flow," and it has waves that will be represented in the glass. >> it is interesting working on an essential facility like this because there are elements that resemble residential with the firefighters' dormitories and bathrooms and showers. and there is also elements that are more commercial, like the kitchen and other elements that fall under that essential facility,

which you want the most strict code requirements. >> the design is always challenging in that you're trying to make many different things work together. >> all fire houses are considered public buildings. and we look forward to serving the citizens of san francisco. >> so i'd like to thank rivera, and lombardi, who started the project, and captain mcfarrell len, and tom murphy. it is a great station. i mean, it is going to be outstanding once it is opened up. i'm a former member of station 5, and i'm very happy that this project got done. hopefully it will open up on may 1st. >> thank you very much,

chief gonzales, for your report. at this point i will call public comment on chief gonzales' report as well. seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioner hartiman? >> thank you, president nanacaccio. >> this is sort of a nos nos not nostalgic day. if this is something that you want to double check on -- you've just been great. i hope i don't see you often on the weekends. if i go by the headquarters, there is chief gonzales going in on a saturday or sunday as i'm going to a ballgame. one time, two weeks in a row, you were pulling in,

as i hollered, chief, what are you doing here again this weekend. you're very dedicated. i know in your case, you have no children, and in some respects, more than maybe most others, this really is your family. i know your parents are just wonderful people. your father was a firefighter. you developed a great rereport. thireport. this is fantastic. over the years of being number two in charge, and often you had to stand in for the chief. and this is sort of -- i hope that we see you around here and that you -- that whatever happens in the fire department, i hope chief nicholson decides to keep you around, but that's not my decision. that's hers. and you, along with her, will decide what you do next. i just wanted to thank you for all you do. this is a great video.

i hope everybody liked it. when i saw it -- it was a little longer on government tv, but you can see how terrific this new station is going to be, and how much goes into it. but, anyway, i just wanted to thank you you, chief gonzales. you've just been fantastic at your job. and the fire department couldn't be more lucky than to have you as the number two person in charge here. you've definitely earned your stripes, and you definitely will leave a mark in this fire department. i appreciate you. >> thank you, commissioner. it has been a privilege. >> thank you very much, commissioner hard hartiman and vice president covington. >> thank you, mr. president. well, this is not good-bye, but there is always a time to, you know, give compliments. and thank you so much for your report. it's outstanding. over the past couple of years, it has become quite

voluminous, but it is still riveting reading, so thank you for that. and thank you for just being you, you know, and being so outgoing an and...knowledgeable and willing to share that knowledge with the commissioners and with other people in the department. it's been a pleasure to work with you. it is always good to see you. >> thank you, commissioner. much appreciate it. >> thank you very much vice president covington. at this particular point, i'll have a few comments. chief gonzales, you will be greatly missed. your dedication, your hard work over the years, is greatly appreciated by this commission and this department. you've served the chief of the department very well, been loyal -- and that's a

big word in our fire department. but also dedicated to the services of this department. i know that quite often you talk about your father, who dedicated himself to this department as well. so it is a great, great achievement to be able to i'm going to miss this, as the vice president talked about, lengthy report. it has grown over the years. i've always enjoyed it because it always encompasses all of the members of the department and their command force. sometimes you think you miss somebody in the command force, but, again, the report always reminds me of that. chief decasio, again, in terms of the areas, the appreciation to captain harold, captain pratt, captain coffe, captain

bowin, captain law, all of that, in terms of also chief sudle, and chief rivera, you looked great in that video, as you always do. i'm telling you, it is only you and me. and in terms of chief cochran, who will be up here very soon -- thank you very much for all of it. and then you, chief zanoff, as well, you're warpart of this operation. thank you for your dedication. >> thank you, president. >> at this particular point, with no questions, madam secretary. >> item seven, commission report, report on commission activities since last meeting on march 27th, 2019. >> i'll take public comment on the commission report, which is item seven at this time. seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioners, anything to report? >> i do have --

>> commissioner hartiman, please. >> thank you. we have time, so i don't feel like i'm wasting time. this really has a lot to do with the san francisco fire department, but i was on a cruise and last week went down to los angeles and the port of san pedro has one of my favorite fire boat stations. i'm sure many of you have seen it. it is a big, curved, beautiful -- like a half circle, and they have their fire boat number 2 there. and there are also four other fire boats, and they have four another stations in that small little area. i didn't bother the firefighters at station -- it's actually station 112 -- i didn't bother them. but i noticed a memorial they had right next to the

station. the longest serving firefighter in the history of the united states, and this was their research that had shown in 2004, i think it was, captain jones, 55 and a half years. so i don't know if anybody has beat that since, but that was in 2004. so it was interesting. it is terro very picturesque. it is very, very nice. and it was nice seeing chief rivera with our fire boat right behind them, our new francis. thank you. that's it. >> all right. thank you very much. commissioner varinici. >> chief, this isn't your last meeting, is it? we were congratulating you as though it was a good-bye -- >> it's just my last meeting this time around.

i mean, i'm not going to be presenting operations report in may. that will be cd2. i will be at the next deputy chief administration presentation. as far as the report, as part of my transition, vic is going to be doing the same thing. obviously he can modify and do what he wants, but this is what you, as a commission, like, and the process is already in place, so i'm sure he'll continue it. >> so there will be time for other accolades? >> we'll shake hands and hug. >> don't make promises you can't keep. >> thank you very much. at this point, madam secretary. >> item eight, drone policy, on the language changes to the drone policy since its adoption on january 9th, 2019. >> at this point, before

you start, chief cochran, i'm going to ask for public comment on your report. seeing none, public comment is closed. i'm going to do your report, and i want to remind the commissioners we did adopt the policy in terms of the drone. this presentation is an update and language. chief cochran, is there an action item on this or just an update? >> an action item. >> an action item. >> action item to accept the ramifications or revisions? >> i believe so, sir. >> thank you very much. chief cochran, proceed. >> good morning, mr. president, commissions, deputy chief gonzales, and mike cochran, home land security. we did meet the city attorney on the 11th, and they've had some recommendations, and we submitted that in our policy, and put it in front of you for your review. did you have a chance to look at it? this is where we get final approval to send it to the state because it is a

grant-funded drone. and then o.e.s. will get our aviation request to give us authority to purchase the drone. so that's where we're at. >> thank you very much, chief cochran. >> chief, how is this not -- not having seen a red-line version, how is this version different from what we approved prior? what exacting are the changes? do you have those in front of you? >> i do. i might have to refer to our c.f.o., who worked more directly with the city attorney. on page one, section one, the policy becomes valid with the signature of the chief of the department and final approval of the fire commission. that was one add-in. page one, section two, was the formating to match the coyk policy headings.

and she made a title change, are or recommended a title change on page three, section three, to protocols for safe operation. and on page seven, ownership, we removed "on or off duty," as the drone will only be operated on duty. so it was minor word changes that we got through updates. i think as many hands we can get to look at it before it goes in front of the citizens, we know haas been reviewed several times by the commission, by the city attorney, and then we can move forward. i just want to be as thorough as possible. >> thank you very much. commissioner? >> thank you. just to followup, is there any change in this policy that further ties your hands? is there anything in here that you think that will

tie your hands to do the job of saving a life in case of an emergency if you need it? >> that was our purpose from the beginning. we did not want to follow the city policy. it was way too restrict stiff. restrictive. basically wherever we want whenever we want is what the fire department needs to do it correctly for life safety issues. so this policy covers that. >> by example, section -- page 9b, no-fly zones. okay, you're not going to be doing that? hold on, let me finish. you're not going to be going out searching for building operators and owners for permission to use the drone to save somebody's life. that is just not going to happen. san francisco circle landmarks are defined by article 10, and then it has a website. you're certainly not, in

the case of an emergency, going to be going to that website, saying, wait a minute, this is a landmark and i need to get permission from somebody for. i noticed there is an exception, the exception for s.f.f.d. emergency operation. but the exception seems to be limited, where there is a c.a.o. waiver approval. and i just want to make sure that whoever is operating this drone is not responding to the scene of an emergency, or someone who is hanging off a cliff and needs emergency assistance, and you're making phone calls as to whether or not you can actually use this drone to save a life. i want to make sure there is no language in here that prevents you from using this thing when you need to use it, or making you stumble. >> that was one of the -- i will say blocks that we wanted to get over.

we wanted to coya and the f.a.a. 10 7, which we're doing both. the recommendation is get both, and then you're covered. you go 2:00 a.m. and launch it when you need it. and then we file a post-flight report. i agree, i don't want to be making phone calls on the way to an emergency. >> they coya is -- i want to make sure that is so expansive it allows you to respond when you need to respond, without having to stumble over a document, a phone call, or a call down to the building manager or the port or anybody else that thinks their building is so special they need an exemption. >> correct. i want to the national expert o on coas.

and that's what i followed. >> thanks, chief. >> vice president covington, please. >> thank you very much. i think the drone policy has been vetted by a number of different entities. you know, including the menlo park department, was able to give our homeland security expert additional information. i think it is good to go. i'd like to move this item. >> thank you very much, vice president covington. there is a motion to move. commissioner hartiman. >> do you want the motion seconded first? or do you want me to ask my question. >> your prerogative. >> okay, i'll ask my

question, not that i won't second it. chief cochran, you're very familiar with menlo park, and do they have a policy with their governing body down there, part of the county or joint areas that menlo park works with -- do they have a document similar to this, or do you know? >> so they have their own coa. it is a fire district. and that's what they recommend. but they also have a fully-funded drone program with one person in charge of a lot of things. yes, they have their own. >> do they have a document as complicated as this in order to operate? or -- >> they have a coa and f.a.a. 107 exemptions. >> they've had to go through the similar hoops, then? >> yes. >> and they've been operating for, what, over five yearsory so? >years or so?>> i don't know ex.

but they didn't have one when i was there. >> so their operation has been good and they haven't had a lot of complaints about privacy? that seems to be the big thing, about privacy or guns or ammunition being used. i saw last night on the news that aclu were complaining about those were a couple of the items they were worried about. anyway, if this service satisfis you, if you feel like you want this item passed, i'll second the motion. unless you want to modify it further. >> no. we should forward. >> thank you very much, commissioner hartiman. he seconded the motion. before we proceed to a vote, vice president covington? >> thank you very much. the reason i referenced the menlo park department -- menlo park fire department -- is that in many ways they are the subject matter experts in this area, in northern

california. and when chief francisco was in charge of homeland security, we went to menlo park -- i tagged along with him because he knows much more about these things than i do, of course. and people from all over northern california were there to learn about what menlo park had been doing. so it is not just that they are another fire department. they are the go-to people for this subject in this area. so that's why i feel very comfortable in moving the item. >> thank you very much, vice president covington. at this point we have a motion from you, vice president covington, to adopt this, and we have a second from can commissioner hartiman. anymore discussion? i'm going to call for question. all in favor, say yea. >> yea. >> any opposed? none. congratulations, chief, your motion has been approved. >> thank you very much.

>> madam secretary. >> item nine, agenda for next and future fire commission meetings. >> do we have any complic comment on this item nine, in terms of agenda for next and future fire commission meetings. seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioners. >> we'll just have to go through our regular commission agenda preparation. we do have a resolution that still needs to be vetted from commissioner cleveland, and i did make a request that we have a presentation from emergency communications, but we will work on that, commissioners. so with that in mind, we'll close this item. if this is approved, we'll close this item in terms of. is there a public comment? >> if i may, in regards to commissioner cleveland's resolution, i believe i have to do this in public and can't -- which is why i'm doing it now and not off-line to you, because i

worked on that resolution with him early on, and so this has to be done in public. but that particular resolution went through vetting for nearly six to eight months with the city attorney's office. i don't -- i think because of the brown act rules, i can't forward that information to you. but i'll ask the city attorney how it is i can get that information to the commission so they can see that particular resolution has been vetted? but i just -- >> excuse me. just for everyone, what resolution are you referring to, please? >> i believe, if i'm not mistaken, the resolution you're referencing references the reserves? >> correct. >> yes. so that's the resolution, there was a lot of back and forthwith the city attorney and actually two other city departments. >> i think it was actually agenda-ized and it was continued. so the resolution is out there.

>> okay on the vetting on the vetting issue, i wanted to make sure that issue is out there. >> as point of information, commissioner, as well, h.r. has taken a look at it, as well as chief nicholson wanted to take a look at it as well. >> sure. >> so we're in the process. madam secretary? >> item 10, adjournment. >> we're going to adjourn in memory of ed harringto harrington -- [inaudible] >> aarons. >> thank you. i appreciate the help. i don't want to disrespect anybody. and also lieutenant william chewy? >> yes. in memory of those two retired firefighters, this meeting is adjourned.

francisco. >> my name is fwlend hope i would say on at large-scale what all passionate about is peace in the world.

>> it never outdoor 0 me that note everyone will think that is a good i know to be a paefrt. >> one man said i'll upsetting the order of universe i want to do since a good idea not the order of universe but his offered of the universe but the ministry sgan in the room chairing sha harry and grew to be 5 we wanted to preach and teach and act god's love 40 years later i retired having been in the tenderloin most of that 7, 8, 9 some have god drew

us into the someplace we became the network ministries for homeless women escaping prostitution if the months period before i performed memorial services store produced women that were murdered on the streets of san francisco so i went back to the board and said we say to do something the number one be a safe place for them to live while he worked on changing 4 months later we were given the building in january of 1998 we opened it as a safe house for women escaping prostitution i've seen those counselors women find their strength and their beauty and their wisdom and come to be able to affirmative as the daughters of god and they accepted me and made me, be a part of the their

lives. >> special things to the women that offered me a chance safe house will forever be a part of the who i've become and you made that possible life didn't get any better than that. >> who've would know this look of this girl grown up in atlanta will be working with produced women in san francisco part of the system that has abused and expedited and obtain identified and degraded women for century around the world and still do at the embody the spirits of women that just know they deserve respect and intend to get it. >> i don't want to just so women younger women become a part of the the current system

we need to change the system we don't need to go up the ladder we need to change the corporations we need more women like that and they're out there. >> we get have to get to help them. >> here we go, with another great announcement today. thank you all so much for being here. thank you all. and welcome to dorhouse. it is a place that serves as an example of how our mental health system is working right here in san francisco. this is a place that people who are in crisis can come and immediately get help and transition to possibly a two-week stay, and, if necessary, a

90-day stay, because we know that someone in crisis who needs help and assistance, it requires a lot of support and a lot of wrap-around services. and this is a great example of us doing it right in san francisco. but while this is a great facility doing significant work, it is just only one tool. we have to address the challenges that we see playing out on our streets every single day. people who are suffering from mental illness, people who are suffering from addiction, we see the need and we wonder why isn't the city doing more? it is heartbreaking and it is frustrating, and we are investing in more solutions to try and address this issue. we've already opened 50 new mental health stabilization beds, and we plan to open another 100 beds this year. we recently announced a

$3 million grant to expand the department of public health efforts to help those suffering from substance use disorder. and we're working to expand our conservatorship law so we can provide help to those who you, unfortunately, sometimes can't help themselves. but each of these efforts, while important, is just one part of a whole behavioral health system. and that system needs greater coordination, focus, and accountability. because while there are great people doing great work, both in our public agencies and our non non-profit communities, like doorhouse, we know that not everything is working. and that's why in my state of the city address earlier this year, i announced that i will be hiring a director of mental health reform, and that i want one person who is looking at this system so that we can change it.

to invest more in solutions that are working and to move away from strategies that aren't working. over the last few months, we have been searching for someone who had the experience and the expertise and the commitment to take on this issue. and today i am really proud to announce that dr. anton negusa blade will be taking on this critical role. [applause] >> i hope i didn't butcher your name. [laughter] >> dr. negusa blade is currently the medical director for psychiatric emergency services at san francisco general hospital. wherever day he sees those who are most in need, and just as important, where he sees the flaws in our systems that leave those in crisis with nowhere to go, dr. negusa blaine is

an addiction and emergency psychiatry, and i know he is ready to take on this challenge. and let's be clear, this is a major effort. he will be tasked with improving our city's efforts around mental health and substance use disorder, including identifying and understanding the exact population that we're trying to help in creating a system to track services across our entire behavioral health system in the city. he'll be assisting with restructuring and expanding existing services and identifying gaps where improvement is needed. and creating a data system so that we can measure our progress, so that we can measure our success in what we're doing. this won't be easy, but i know that he is up for the task. and he has my full support to achieve this goal.

he will report to our new director of the department of public health, dr. grant colfax, and i want to thank dr. colfax for helping to lead this effort and for his early emphasis on prioritizing behavioral health in our city. i also want to thank ucsf for loaning dr. negusa blaine while he takes on this very important role. ucsf has always been a partner to us in providing health in our city, and we appreciate their leadership and their support in this very difficult task that we have to do. and we know that it won't be easy, but we are prepared to do what is necessary to make sure that we partner, that we make better investments, and that we do everything we can to improve behavioral health in our city and the challenging

conditions on our streets. and with that, i'd like to welcome to the podium the new director of mental health reform for the city and county of san francisco, dr. anton negusa blaine. [applause] >> thank you, madam mayor. i'm anton negusa blaine. as a psychiatrist, i think of my job and work mostly as establishing safety through listening. everyone has a story to tell, and a reason for the problems their experiencing. creating the right environments for people to seek care, to accept help, and also to work on their own behalf to get better, that is in some ways our most basic and our most pressing challenge. in my time at psychiatric emergency services, i have seen people in crisis who are disconnected from care and resources in the community. i often challenge our staff to ask, what are

their barriers? what can we do as a system to begin to bend in their direction? i look forward to working with the health department leadership and community partners to figure that out. we have so many dedicated and talented providers and experts in our system. it is a great basis of strength to begin this work. together we can develop a strategic approach to mental health and substance abuse services for people experiencing homelessness in san francisco. while the system works very well most of the time for most people, we need to focus in on the gaps that leave some of our most vulnerable residents at risk. san francisco has an outstanding track record of problem solving. i'm honored to be asked to serve at this critical time to address the problems of our homeless residents who need mental health and substance abuse care but are not able to access it through our current needs. we're going to examine the data, and we're going to assess the programs that

are in place. we will build upon what is working and develop new approaches as well. as a city, we can continue to do better to ensure that all san franciscans have a real opportunity for wellness and recovery. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. and with that, i'd like to introduce our new department of public health director, dr. grant colfax. >> thank you, madam mayor. this is really an exciting and inspiring day. and it is really great to see some of the key people who make our system work here with us today. and as i reflect on my first month as director of health, i'm struck by how extensive our mental health and substance abuse treatment is throughout the city. just for some numbers, the system already provides care to some 30,000 san

franciscans in about 300 programs. we have approximately 2,000 beds in the behavioral health system across the continuum of care, from crisis to acute in-patient care, to residential treatment and beds and boarding care. we know that recovery is responsible with treatment. today at doorhouse, which is a great example of a part of our system that is working well, to help people recover. we know there are many effective programs in our system to meet individual needs. that's so important because there are individual situations that play out differently for everyone. but we must, and we can do better. we need to lower barriers and make it easier for people to experience recovery and wellness. for many of our most vulnerable residents and their families, the system can be confusing and hard to access. we must collaborate better with community providers,

patients, families, and other stakeholders to present a more client-centered model of care. we must have a system that responds better to the mental health and substance abuse treatment needs, people experiencing homelessness, or those at risk for ending up on the street. we need to implement the most evidence space, tools, op optimizing every dollar for care, delivering culturally efficient care, and demonstrating results. we need to scale what is working and end what is not. i'm grateful that mayor breed has decided to face this issue head-on. with her leadership, i'm positive about moving forward in the right direction. dr. anton negusa blaine comes to us with experience in addiction psychiatry. he has been medical director of the psychiatric services, the emergency services at san

francisco general hospital, thereby being on the front lines of mental health and substance abuse crisis. he sees the issues we are facing and trying to solve every day. we're grateful to him and ucsf for making this integrative new position. he will work with me with mental health and substance abuse services for those in san francisco and those at risk for being on the street. he will help us to assess the system from the patient's perspective and by looking at the data. he will identify successful models of care and opportunities for additional resources or service expansion where things are working. he will ensure that our investments are informed both by science and the people we serve. we are fortunate to be taking this step forward today, and i look forward to working with everyone for more improvements in the futurement thank you. thanfuture.thank you. [applause] >> thank you. and dr. negusa blaine is

on loan to the city from our great partner, ucsf. and i want to welcome to the podium dr. matthew state, who is the chair of the department of psychiatry for ucsf. >> it is wonderful, truly exciting to be here today for this incredibly important announcement. i want to thank mayor breed, director colfax, of course dr. bland, as well as all of our community partners and advocates who are here with us day. i'm matt state, the chair of the department of psychiatry at ucsf. as i said, this is an extraordinairely exciting day for our city. it is incredibly rewarding to have ucsf faculty, like

dr. anton bland, to be able to play such an important role in this effort. the city and ucsf have a very long history of highly productive partnership, and as the representative of the ucsf here today, i can't stress our eagerness to continue working with you, director colfax, and dr. bland. it is particularly rewarding for me personal to be able to help support the remarkable work that is being done as a partnership between the city and ucsf at the general hospital and in our community based programs. our department of psychiatry is the second largest service department, serving more than 13,000 individuals and families annually. the faculty and staff at ucsf are talented and are really on the front lines of national crisis. our doctors, whether

thairthey're in psychiatric services, or division of substance abuse, our trauma programs, our community based wrap-around programs, jail-based psychiatry, are all helping people who are struggling with their issues, and very often are facing homelessness, exposure to violence, marginalization, and stigma. in this department, dr. bland is a resilient and talented leader. he has been a highly affective leader who has a deep, deep understanding of the mental health challenges that the city faces. he brings a remarkable mix of clinical excellence, administrative skill, and very importantly a deep compassion for every patient and family that he interacts with. in taking this position, he will join an already outstanding team, in working throughout the city who are addressing this challenge day and

night. and with the active support of the mayor, director colfax, our community partners, and i guarantee every person at ucsf, i'm confident he will help achieve lasting and sub substantive change that will affect the lives of the most vulnerable in san francisco. thank you again, mayor, thank you, mr. colfax, and congratulations and best wishes to you, dr. bland, as you begin your tenure as the doctor of health reform in san francisco. congratulations. [applause] >> mayor: again, thank you to ucsf for their partnership in this effort. we are truly grateful for their support. and i think that this is going to be absolutely amazing for our city, and it is no -- it is primarily do to our working relationship with

ucsf and the resources they continue to provide to support our programs here in san francisco. i would also like to acknowledge and thank the progress foundation and doorhouse for their support and the work that they continue to do in san francisco, as well as another community partner, positive resource center and brent andrews. thank you so much for all of the work you all do to work with communities and to continue to make sure that san francisco is at the forefront of addressing what we know is a serious crisis. not just with so many people sadly that are suffering on our streets, but people who need help, they need support, and need resources, and it is time that this city has taken a really hard stance around trying to reform mental health in a way that removes the stigma so that we can get people to help and the support that they need. so i'm very honored and grateful to dr. negusa

bland, who has stepped up to the plate to take on this incredible responsibility. so thank you all so much for being here today. [applause]

>> good morning, everyone. the meeting will come to order. welcome to the april 15, 2019 meeting. seated to my right is rules committee vice chair shamann walton, and to my left is gordon mar. substituting at clerk is linda wong -- thank you, linda. andwo