UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals has received final approval for a $1.49 billion hospital building on its Oakland campus, aimed at providing state-of-the-art, child-centered medical care for families across the Bay Area. The University of California Board of Regents approved the proposal on July 18, paving the way for UCSF Health to modernize the historic pediatric safety net hospital and Level 1 trauma center, which has served Oakland families for over a century and consistently ranks among the nation’s top children’s hospitals.
“This new hospital project is our covenant to the community to provide the best care available for all kids, regardless of their socioeconomic level,” said Nicholas Holmes, MD, MBA, president of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “We are investing in this hospital to expand access to world-class care for any child for generations to come.”
Slated to open in 2030, the new facility will feature a light-filled, healing environment with access to outdoor spaces for patients, families, and staff. It will also provide ample internal space for families to stay with their children during care and house state-of-the-art hospital equipment.
World-class, Research-backed Care in a Healing Environment
The seven-story, 277,500-square-foot building will include a new and expanded emergency department, doubling the current space for child-centered trauma care. This will allow for more efficient care, updated imaging and surgical services, a new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and seven new surgical suites.
The new hospital will have triple the number of single-patient rooms, increasing from 39 to 137, and will also provide rooms for families with multiple children requiring care. Additionally, it will introduce a 20-bed inpatient behavioral health unit.
“This is an opportunity to extend our impact on the health and well-being of the children in our community by enabling more patients to access an innovative, culturally responsive pediatric health system,” said Suresh Gunasekaran, president and CEO of UCSF Health. “Having facilities that enable and reflect the world-class care provided within is a critical part of our commitment to the care teams at the hospital and key to our continued ability to deliver on UCSF’s mission of healing, learning, and discovery.”
Sustainable Practices and Economic Vitality
The hospital building is the centerpiece of a $1.62 billion modernization effort on the 11-acre Oakland site. This includes a new administrative building, new MRI and other equipment to support a modern emergency department, and renovations in the existing patient tower and diagnostic and treatment building. The project also entails infrastructure upgrades, a new parking garage, and a relocated helistop for emergency transports.
The new hospital building will be LEED Gold certified, seismically sound, and use sustainable practices to reduce energy consumption and waste, including a 35% reduction in water usage. It will also support climate and environmental best practices, adding 120 electric vehicle charging spaces and bicycle parking at the main entrances.
“This is an important investment in the children of our region and the communities that surround our hospital,” said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS. “It will enhance critical care pediatric facilities in the East Bay, while providing thousands of well-paid construction jobs over the next six years and future careers in health for our local community.”
UCSF Health announced in July that its contractors will hire union workers for the project—expected to require 400 construction workers per year through 2030—and partner with training programs to prepare local apprentices for this project and future careers.
In addition to approving the capital investment and scope of construction, the UC Regents certified the Environmental Impact Report, adopted the California Environmental Quality Act Findings, and approved UCSF’s Long Range Development Plan for the area.