The rebuild was approved by San Francisco voters in November 2008. They authorized the city and county to finance the project with $887.4 million in general obligation bonds.

The San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center Rebuild Program will replace the existing hospital building with a facility that complies with the state’s seismic safety requirements. In compliance with state law, the new facility will ensure that San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center can continue to provide emergency, trauma and inpatient services to the public in the event of a major seismic event. The construction period is from summer 2009 through 2014, with the new hospital open and operational by winter 2015.

Located in the Mission District, SFGH provides comprehensive medical care, from primary care to emergency and disaster response, to the city and county residents of San Francisco. In 2000, the San Francisco Department of Public Health commissioned a seismic evaluation study of the main hospital building, and determined that the structure does not meet the state’s mandated seismic safety standards. The Department of Public Health elected to construct a new acute care hospital on the current campus.