A Case for Supporting SMHC
There are moments in every organization that invite boldness. These are moments that ask us to rise above simply doing a good job and inspire us to do exceptional work! Building a community health center from the ground up is one of these moments. Meeting this challenge has been a monumental task that required a unique expertise, commitment and courage. At SMHC, we see challenges as new possibilities for opportunities.
Our beginning, nearly 35 years ago, was such a moment of boldness. On that day, when Elouise Westbrook and Leland Meyerzove, and several other local residents from the South of Market Area, set out to improve the way their community got health care services, the challenge presented a bold opportunity. Because of their leap of faith, South of Market Health Center is today a successful medical facility that is one of the safety net providers that ensures access to health care to the poor and very poor living in San Francisco. SMHCs growth and success is rooted in our commitment to our community. For 35 years, we have provided residents in this area with a reasonable option to get the care they need. Our staff is committed to our patients' well-being and to providing a quality service in an environment that is respectful and sensitive to the culture, diversity and special interests of our patients.
Today SMHC is at another defining moment in our history - a time of both need and opportunity.
It's time to ensure SMHCs place and prominence as a leading health care provider for the city - meeting current needs and preparing for future needs. It's time to improve the ways in which we meet our patient needs - including ensuring timely access to care, improving our results with patients, reducing health care disparities and maximizing the quality of care that each and every patient receives.
It's time to ensure that we attract and retain the best staff and professionals to lead our medical team, to provide them with the resources that will support their leadership, nurture their dedication and encourage their professionalism - to best serve the needs of our patients.
Accordingly, we are focusing on development in four major areas. These areas are our:
Annual Fund - Core Operations - $500,000
SMHC depends on its core funding to support its basic services and to ensure that no one is refused care because of their inability to pay. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, SMHC receives about 1/3 of its $3.8 million budget from the Federal Government. The balance needed to support the health center's operations is dependent largely on patient fees. Most of our patients are able to contribute very little, if anything towards the care they receive.
- 96% of SMHC patients are living within 200% of the federal poverty level
- 69% of SMHC patients are uninsured
- 28% of SMHC patients are homeless
This year, especially with the dire situation we are facing with our national, state and local economy, is projected to be especially challenging to meet our cash needs for the year. It is critical that we augment our core operations so that our financial resources will enable us to continue to serve some of San Francisco's most needy residents.
Capital Project - $15.1 million
SMHC has started construction on a major project that will include a new clinic facility for the health center. This new facility will allow SMHC to move to its next level of performance in addressing the health care needs of the residents of the South of Market neighborhood. The total Capital Campaign for SMHC is $15.1 million and includes the following projects:
- New facility - $13.2 million
- Equipment and Furnishings - $1million
- Security System
- Telecommunication System
Information Technology - $150,000
Over the past ten years SMHC has made great strides in the area of information technology. Originally, technology upgrades were mostly for business operations. Today, more and more emphasis is being placed on using this technology to better manage patient care. On January 26, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a study on Clinical Information Technologies and Inpatient Outcomes which found that greater automation of (patient) information was linked with reductions in mortality, complications and costs. In order to meet the challenge of the new demands in this area, SMHC needs to identify and evaluate new systems that can be integrated into the SMHC practice management system, for managing patient health information.
The health center is an evolving entity with evolving goals and objectives. In the last 15 years, under the current leadership, the organization has not had a negative budget year. This time of growth presents an unprecedented opportunity for SMHC. We are committed to the challenge of making SMHC a distinctive place of service within the health care market of San Francisco.
The need is great but so is the opportunity to create a better quality of life for residents of the South of Market Area.
If you would like to get involved, make a contribution, or receive additional information, please contact Marilyn Griffin at 415.436.0111 or marilyn.griffin@smhcsf.org.
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