UCSF Mission Bay Hospital Groundbreaking & Spurring Economic Development in San Francisco

October 29, 2010

USCF Mission Bay Hospital Groundbreaking
On Tuesday, I was honored to join with leaders of the University of California, local officials, doctors, medical students and patients to break ground on the new UCSF hospital in Mission Bay. Opening in 2014, this 289-bed, world-class hospital will be a family-centered healing environment for children, women and cancer patients. The facility will provide state of the art care, emphasizing compassionate care of patients and their families. By integrating with the existing Mission Bay biomedical campus, it will strengthen collaboration among basic scientists, clinical researchers and physicians – bringing new discoveries to patients faster.

paddy_slideshow Congresswoman Pelosi meets with UCSF Children’s Hospital patient Paddy O’Brien at the groundbreaking
for the UCSF Mission Bay Hospital for Children, Women and Cancer Patients.

I have been proud to support this innovative institution, and in 2005 I fought to bring $500,000 in federal funds for a Mother’s and Children’s Birth Defects Center at the Children’s Hospital. By passing health insurance reform, we have opened wide the doors of healing for families at this and thousands of other institutions across the nation - so that we can ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable health care as a right, and not a privilege.

Economic Development in San Francisco
Over the past year, great strides have been made for the future economic growth and prosperity of our city. The foundation has been laid for San Francisco to continue leading the nation as a generator of jobs, a bastion of entrepreneurial spirit and a beacon of innovative thinking.

Treasure Island: I was able to help break an impasse in negotiations that was preventing the transfer of Treasure Island from the Navy to San Francisco. In August, I was honored to join Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Mayor Gavin Newsom at a ceremony to endorse the Terms of Transfer of Treasure Island to our city of San Francisco. This redevelopment will generate 3,000 permanent jobs on top of 2,000 construction jobs, along with 6,000 new residential units (30 percent below-market), three hotels, a 400-slip marina, and nearly 300 acres of parks and open recreational space.
Hunters Point: Since its closure by the US Navy in 1974, the Hunters Point Shipyard has been a neglected and contaminated neighbor to the Bayview/Hunters Point community. San Francisco has been working for more than 15 years to transform the former Hunters Point Shipyard into a source of jobs and economic development, parks and affordable housing for the community. Since becoming Speaker, I have secured $325.9 million for the cleanup at Hunters Point, allowing the City’s redevelopment plan to move forward, including more than 10,000 new homes (30% at below market rates) and millions of square feet of retail and commercial space oriented around a life science and green technology campus.
Transbay Transit Center: Thanks to a $400 million investment from the Recovery Act, construction began in August on the Transbay Transit Center – replacing the outdated Transbay Terminal with a modern, multi-modal transit center connecting eight counties, eleven transit systems, and communities throughout the state with long-distance bus and rail service, including high-speed rail. 48,000 jobs will be created over the course of the project. On top of the Recovery Act funds, I have secured over $68 million in federal funding for the project, along with a $171 million federal loan.
Central Subway: The second phase of the Third Street/Central Subway project, this transit line will extend light-rail through SOMA and downtown into the heart of Chinatown. Central Subway will promote commerce and economic development, improve mobility and reduce air pollution for all of San Francisco, while improving service reliability and reducing travel times for tens of thousands of commuters and visitors each day. Since 2003, I have helped procure $93.3 million in federal funding for Central Subway, including $20 million pending in the President’s budget this year.
Doyle Drive: As the access road to the Golden Gate Bridge, Doyle Drive is an essential connection between San Francisco and the North Bay. Unfortunately, the current roadway is reaching the end of its useful life. The Federal Highway Administration ranks Doyle Drive as the fifth worst bridge in the nation and the worst in California for structural sufficiency. I have fought to bring $18 million in federal funds to the project over the last five years, and with an additional $96 million investment from the Recovery Act, construction has begun on renovations to Doyle Drive so that it can become the new Presidio Parkway.

Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my Web site. I am now on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi.