Sutter Health Affiliate Plans New California Hospital

California Pacific Medical Center, an affiliate of Sutter Health, is planning a 15-story, 550-bed hospital in San Francisco, Calif., as part of a $2.5 billion, long-term plan, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Cathedral Hill Hospital will cost an estimated $1.7 billion and include acute care, a women's and children's hospital and specialized services for organ transplants, cardiology and cancer care, according to the report. CPMC is waiting on approval from the San Francisco Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors before construction begins; the hospital system is hoping for approval by the end of summer.

The plan also calls for renovation to another of CPMC's San Francisco campuses, St. Luke's Hospital, in order to meet basic seismic safety standards by 2013.

CPMC faces some opposition from the community, as the construction of the Cathedral Hill Hospital also means that CPMC will be moving most of its inpatient services to the central location, according to the report. Additionally, CPMC plans on closing its Laurel Heights campus. St. Luke's will be consolidated from 230 to 80 beds, but "critical services" will be moved to the Cathedral Hill location.

Read the Chronicle's report about the proposed Cathedral Hill Hospital.