FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, August 1, 2024
Contact: SFDPH Media Desk DPH.Press@sfdph.org
San Francisco, CA – The Department of Public Health announced today that Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center (Laguna Honda) resumed admissions and began welcoming home former residents who were moved out of the facility during the recertification process.
Last month, Laguna Honda received full certification with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) after a successful two-year improvement process. Recertification restored funding for resident care and allowed Laguna Honda, which accounts for more than 30% of all skilled nursing beds in San Francisco, to resume admissions.
Laguna Honda is beginning the admissions process by welcoming back former residents who were transferred to other facilities at the direction of CMS. All former residents have been contacted and several have opted to return to Laguna Honda. New admissions will resume in the coming weeks for other San Franciscans in-need of skilled nursing care who meet Laguna Honda’s criteria for care.
“We fought tirelessly for the future of Laguna Honda so that the care and services provided by this beloved facility would again be accessible to our most vulnerable residents,” said Mayor London Breed. “This is a historic day for Laguna Honda, and it would not be possible without the staff and our union partners who showed dedication and commitment to stay open, make important changes, and prepare to successfully resume admissions/ Laguna Honda is a vital part of our city, and everyone involved in protecting it should be proud of this monumental accomplishment.”
Laguna Honda represents a significant and extensive commitment by San Francisco towards publicly-funded skilled nursing care for those with limited means. Laguna Honda provides safety net healthcare services to hundreds of the City’s most vulnerable individuals with complex medical and care needs.
“It is wonderful to have former Laguna Honda residents re-enter our facility and reconnect with their former nurses, social workers, physicians and care teams,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health for the City and County of San Francisco. “It is testimony to the connection these residents have to Laguna Honda that after two years living elsewhere, they want to return and again call Laguna Honda home. Laguna Honda remains a critical part of San Francisco's safety-net healthcare system and a key part of our continuum of care. It is where those recovering from a major surgery or healthcare event recover or those needing skilled nursing care will get the support they need.”
In April 2022, CMS terminated Laguna Honda’s participation in Medicare and Medicaid Provider Program. As a result of the termination, Laguna Honda was at risk of closing its doors after 150 years of serving San Francisco’s most in need. Laguna Honda responded with a heroic effort that included facility-wide improvements necessary to improve resident care and safety as well as significant changes to meet rigorous federal regulatory requirements and timelines set by CMS.
As a result of the transformational changes, Laguna Honda achieved Medicaid recertification in August 2023 and Medicare recertification in June 2024.
Over the past six months, teams at Laguna Honda have prepared to resume new admissions, including a thorough review of all admissions policies and procedures, ensuring they are aligned with skilled nursing best practices.
To ensure the significant changes and improvements made over the past two years are sustained, Laguna Honda admissions are resuming deliberately and methodically. This includes regular check-ins for evaluation and audits of each new admission.
“Today is a joyous day as we welcome back former Laguna Honda residents. On behalf of all unions and union members, we show our gratitude to Laguna Honda residents and their families for their ongoing patience and support,” said Theresa Rutherford, President of SEIU Local 1021. “We are proud to deliver on our promise to former Laguna Honda residents to bring them back home and are honored that after two years away, they again choose Laguna Honda for their care and Laguna Honda staff as their care givers.”
“We made a commitment to Laguna Honda residents and their families who were transferred at the direction of CMS that they would be the first priority to return once we achieved recertification. I am relieved that we are able to deliver on that promise today,” said Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “I have eagerly awaited this day to welcome back our community members to Laguna Honda and to welcome new patients in need of skilled nursing. It is a testament to the grit and determination of the staff and leadership. They never lost sight of this goal and put in the hard work to make it a reality.”
“Laguna Honda is a vital part of the San Francisco health care safety net, and we recognize the impact of our two year pause on accepting new admissions” said Roland Pickens, Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Health Network. “We are thrilled to again be the backbone for publicly-funded skilled nursing care in San Francisco and provide our service of excellent, regulatory compliant, and resident centered care.”
About Laguna Honda Hospital
For more than 150 years, Laguna Honda has been a pillar of San Francisco’s healthcare system, caring for those most in need and providing critical health care services. Laguna Honda serves as a safety net for residents with complex medical needs who are low or very low income and often have no other options for care. Many residents have complicated chronic medical needs along with behavioral health components (such as diagnosed mental illnesses and/or substance use disorders) and other social or behavior issues.
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