Registered nurses from the California Nurses Association, along with their patients and community healthcare advocates, cheered yesterday when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed historic legislation to allow the City to consider the impact on access and equity to healthcare when deciding whether to approve planning proposals for medical facilities. The program calls for a Healthcare Services Master Plan to be drafted to better coordinate care across the city, and restores the mission of the long-defunct West Bay Health Systems Agency to regional healthcare planning to increase access. After the master plan is completed through a public process, medical institutions seeking entitlements from the Planning Department would need to demonstrate that their services meet city needs for healthcare or offer other significant public benefits.
