UCSF Health said it will not lay off staff should its $100 million purchase of Dignity Health's St. Francis and St. Mary's hospitals in San Francisco secure approval from state regulators, according to The San Francisco Standard.
UCSF has also vowed to maintain various specialty programs at the community hospitals, including a burn center at St. Francis and a health center and behavioral program at St. Mary's.
"It's our commitment to maintain those services and all services that are currently offered," Shay Strachan, vice president of partnerships for UCSF Health, said during a March 18 board of supervisors hearing. "No nurses, no staff, period, will lose their jobs as a result of the transaction."
The hearing was called as California Nurses Association, a union representing almost 100,000 RNs across the state, raised concerns that the takeover could lead to service cuts and increased fees at the hospitals. The union alleges that UCSF has been keeping slow to reveal details about the proposed $100 million acquisition.
UCSF officials said that St. Francis and St. Mary's are losing a combined $10 million a month, and the university-run health system is stepping in to maintain critical access to care in the community, The San Francisco Standard reported.
"These hospitals are in danger of closing, and we are preserving them," Ms. Strachan said.
UCSF plans to acquire the hospitals for $100 million and invest up to another $100 million on maintenance projects in its first year of ownership, according to the report.
The health system hopes to finalize the transaction by the end of June.