As part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard the community during the pandemic, Chinese Hospital partnered with Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) and the SF Department of Public Health (DPH) on Friday, August 13^th to publicly address the latest COVID-19 trends and provide updates on safety recommendations to the community.

Chinese Hospital and DPH leaders discussed the recent surge in COVID-19 positive cases and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant, urging the community to get vaccinated to slow the spread and prevent severe disease and death.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, Chinese Hospital has worked closely with its partners to protect the community through robust access to testing, vaccination, and linkage of care,” said Chinese Hospital CEO Dr. Jian Zhang. “Our fight against COVID-19 is not over due to the highly infectious Delta variant. Thankfully, we have a vaccine that is extremely effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. If you’re not yet vaccinated, please get vaccinated to protect yourselves and your families from these severe health risks.”

San Francisco Director of Public Health Dr. Grant Colfax, who was not in attendance, echoed the same sentiment about vaccinations.

“With the highly transmissible Delta variant, San Francisco is in the middle of a surge of cases. However, we are still in a better place than many other jurisdictions due to our high vaccination rate,” said Dr. Grant Colfax. “The best way to decrease the spread of COVID-19 is through vaccination. Therefore, the City is requiring proof of vaccination for customers and staff of certain indoor businesses such as bars, restaurants, clubs, and all large indoor events with 1,000 people or more. The past year was a difficult one for everyone and especially for businesses. We want to ensure our economy can thrive once again and that our residents and visitors are safe. Everyone who is eligible should get vaccinated as soon as possible so that we can manage this pandemic as soon as possible.”

Community collaboration, with the support of the City and DPH, has been instrumental to Chinatown’s success in containing outbreaks and minimizing COVID-19 positive cases and hospitalizations.

“I am proud that through Chinese Hospital and its partners’ efforts, Chinatown has remained one of the safest neighborhoods in San Francisco during the pandemic,” said Chinese Hospital Board Chairman Kitman Chan. “Chinese Hospital remains committed to keeping the community safe and working with organizations such as CCBA and SF Department of Public Health to ensure that our community has access to accurate, timely information and testing/vaccination services.”

“Early last year, CCBA and Chinese Hospital held a press event that helped prevent a devastating outbreak and saved lives,” said Larry Yee, CCBA President. “Today our organizations are coming together again in a united effort to prevent another crisis in Chinatown. I am grateful that the community can easily receive vaccination and testing services at Chinese Hospital, as well as a dedicated COVID-19 hotline for any questions or concerns. I encourage everyone to access and use these resources, which will help mitigate the impact of the virus on our community.”

Media Contact:
Jenni Lau
[email protected]
1-415-677-2378

The California Nurses Association (“CNA”), which represents our registered nurses at Chinese Hospital, is going forward with its planned strike today starting at 7:30 a.m. until Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 7:29 a.m. CNA has refused to cancel its strike, even though the Hospital has offered the nurses average wage increases of 6.4%.

While the CNA strike is disruptive, the Hospital will remain open and ready to serve the community as it has done every day for over 120 years.

“Our goal has always been to serve our Chinatown community, which has had to endure so much, including horrible physical attacks,” said Hospital CEO Jian Zhang, herself a nurse practitioner. “The CNA strike is just the latest obstacle we face. But Chinese Hospital will never waiver from its mission of being the People’s Hospital.”

As a precaution, the Hospital will have extra security on hand to make sure that patients and employees can safely enter and leave the Hospital. “Patient safety is the most important thing,” said Zhang. “We have prepared for every contingency.”

The Hospital has also quickly addressed the scheduling problems CNA created. In a short-sighted and risky decision, CNA has set the strike to start at 7:30 a.m., which is 30 minutes after the start of the nurses’ day shift. During the first 30 minutes of the day shift, nurses are responsible for talking to the night shift nurses and learning about the patient’s condition during the night. This is called the “hand off” and is critically important to making sure that patients are safe and that the nurses are up to date on any developments in their condition.

Based on the union’s strike notice, the day shift nurses are scheduled to show up to work at 7 a.m. and, after 30 minutes, they are supposed to leave work, leave the patients, and join the picket line. This puts the nurses in a terrible position. The Hospital does not think this is fair to the nurses and has taken steps to have other nurses available to take the “hand off” so that the Hospital’s nurses are not faced with this difficult decision.

The Hospital will always respect and consider the nurses to be an important part of the Chinese Hospital family. “It is sad that the CNA strike causes so much disruption when we know that the nurses and the entire Hospital community care so much for the patients” said Hospital Board Chair Kitman Chan.

“Chinese Hospital is an important part of our community,” Mr. Chan added. “Every time I walk into the Hospital, I see nurses proudly caring for this underserved community. When the CNA strike ends, I know that the nurses will come back where they are needed.”

The negotiations over a contract between CNA and the Hospital began in February of 2020. Soon afterwards, the Covid-19 global pandemic hit, but the parties continued their negotiations. CNA’s proposed wage grid has an average increase of 21%. In addition to the various terms the parties have agreed to, the Hospital has offered:

• An average increase of 6.4% to our nurses after we reach an agreement, which is an average hourly rate before increased extra pay of $73.87 per hour.
• Increased extra pay for those who work nights and weekends.
• Tuition reimbursement of $2,500 per year for 40 hours of classes.

The Hospital is ready, willing and able to continue negotiations with CNA, finalize the collective bargaining agreement, put this strike behind us, and continue to focus on what is important: providing high quality healthcare to the community.

傳媒聯絡：
Jenni Lau
[email protected]
1-415-677-2378

Assemblymember David Chiu received his second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco today, to complete his inoculation against the deadly disease.

Starting from April 15, California has expanded the vaccine eligibility to all individuals 16 and older in California. According to SFGov.org, 60% of San Franciscans have already received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccines. However, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showed the number of people missing their second shot of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine nationwide has been doubled since the vaccine’s first rollout in January; there are more than 5 million Americans have missed their second shot.

“It is important to complete the two-shot series to be fully vaccinated,” said Assemblymember David Chiu. “Having both shots will provide stronger and longer protection against the coronavirus and its variants. I encourage all eligible residents to get vaccinated and complete the two-dose series for both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.”

The first shot of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provides some immunity and the second shot is a booster to the first shot that will keep you protected against COVID-19 and its variants.

“By receiving the second shot, you stand to benefit from the vaccine’s 94-95% effectiveness. With one shot, the effectiveness of the vaccine is much lower,” said Dr. Jian Zhang, Chinese Hospital CEO.

To provide better accessibility of the vaccines for the community, Chinese Hospital is hosting a walk-in COVID vaccination clinic in San Francisco Chinatown at 845 Jackson Street, in collaboration with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). Chinese Hospital is also part of the California MyTurn system (myturn.ca.gov), we encourage all the eligible community members who haven’t received vaccination to come forward and get vaccinated. We also offer COVID-19 vaccination appointments at all of our clinic locations for your convenience. To schedule a vaccination appointment at one of our clinics, please call 1-628-228-2828 or visit https://chinesehospital.iqhealth.com/appointments/search/flex-new.

“Our goal is to protect more people quickly, so we can reach herd immunity and get the virus under control sooner,” said Dr. Zhang.

In addition to the Covid-19 vaccine, Chinese Hospital also provides other COVID-19 related services since the beginning of the pandemic. We have been working closely with the city and state authorities and officials, media, and other community partners to provide testing, contact tracing, vaccination, treatment, education, and outreach to meet the needs of the community.

To learn more about our COVID-19 response, please visit our website www.chinesehospital-sf.org/covid19-resources.

傳媒聯絡：
Jenni Lau
[email protected]
1-415-677-2378

Assemblymember David Chiu received his COVID-19 vaccination at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco today. As eligibility guidelines continue to expand to more groups, Chiu encourages the community to get vaccinated early to protect themselves, their families, and their friends.

“I am relieved and incredibly grateful to be receiving this life-saving vaccine,” said Assemblymember David Chiu. “As of today, any San Franciscan over the age of 50 is eligible to receive this vaccine; as of April 15th, anyone over the age of 16 can receive it. I encourage all eligible residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible. As we all get vaccinated, this is the first step to resuming some of our normal activities, visiting family and friends, and ensuring our businesses can thrive once again.”

“Receiving a vaccination early not only can protect yourself but also those around you,” said Dr. Jian Zhang, Chinese Hospital CEO. “Vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent infection with COVID-19 and reduces the occurrence of severe complications as well as the risk of fatality. I encourage all eligible community members to seize the opportunity and get vaccinated, to safeguard the health and well-being of our community.”

Since the onset of the pandemic, Chinese Hospital has been working closely with the city and state authorities and officials, media, and other community partners to provide COVID-19-related services, such as testing, contact tracing, vaccination, treatment, education, and outreach to meet the needs of the community. Under its community COVID vaccination program this year, Chinese Hospital has vaccinated thousands of community members in phase 1A and 1B, in accordance with state and local county guidelines. Starting April 1, Chinese Hospital is pleased to be able to offer the vaccine to those age 50 years and older.

“Chinese Hospital is thrilled that we can now serve and vaccinate more individuals in our community. We look forward to continuing to work with our local county and state partners to administer vaccines to our community as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Zhang. “Chinese Hospital remains committed to leading our community through this pandemic, and this means getting as many people vaccinated as we can.”

Chinese Hospital has set up a COVID-19 hotline at 1-628-228-2828 for our patients and members to schedule a vaccination appointment at one of our clinics in San Francisco and Daly City. We also host a walk-in COVID vaccination clinic in San Francisco Chinatown at 845 Jackson Street for other eligible community members.
To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, please visit our website www.chinesehospital-sf.org/covid-19-vaccine.

傳媒聯絡：
Jenni Lau
[email protected]
1-415-677-2378

After months of providing thousands of COVID-19 vaccinations to the communities in San Francisco and San Mateo County, Chinese Hospital is augmenting its COVID-19 efforts by expanding access to vaccination at Gellert Health Services in Daly City. Beginning March 11, Chinese Hospital Gellert Health Services will offer daily vaccination appointments and walk-ins for eligible individuals living and working in San Mateo County. In accordance with state and local county guidelines, Chinese Hospital is currently vaccinating individuals of phase 1A and 1B, which includes seniors age 65 and older, healthcare workers, and essential workers such as teachers, child care providers, first responders, and food and agricultural workers.

“Chinese Hospital is focused on meeting the needs of our community, especially during the ever-evolving pandemic,” Dr. Zhang, Chinese Hospital CEO said. “Our staff has been working tirelessly to ensure that the community has access to culturally competent health care services and to accommodate the growing demand for vaccinations. We hope that, as supplies allow, we will be able to vaccinate additional eligible groups, including individuals with underlying health conditions starting March 15.”

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David Canepa and Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo express appreciation and support for Chinese Hospital’s vaccination efforts and seek to encourage eligible residents and employees to get vaccinated.

“Chinese Hospital is a critical and trusted partner ready to vaccinate our most vulnerable residents, in their own language, with speed and efficiency even as the state roll-out has been a challenge,” Canepa said. “From day one, Chinese Hospital, in its Daly City clinic setting, has made incredible strides to safeguard residents in north San Mateo County from this deadly virus. To end COVID, we must get shots in arms.”
“Having localized vaccinations in Daly City community is so important, also within our most underserved populations. Thank you Chinese Hospital for providing this service and helping ensure access to those in need,” Manalo said.

Scaling and expanding vaccination is but another milestone for Chinese Hospital, who has been on the frontlines safeguarding the community since beginning of the pandemic early 2020. In addition to remaining open during the pandemic and providing timely care to all patients, Chinese Hospital has continued providing COVID-19 education and outreach, conducting contact tracing activities, and maintaining community access to testing. Chinese Hospital’s COVID-19 prevention and mitigation accomplishments have been made possible through the dedication of its staff, as well as its close partnership with several community organizations.

“I am proud of our team for leading the COVID-19 response efforts for over a year and now during this critical period of widespread vaccination,” Dr. Zhang said. “I would also like to offer my sincerest thanks to our community partners, including Teochew Community Center, NICOS Chinese Health Coalition, Self-Help for the Elderly, and Neighborhood Emergency Response Team, among many others, for supporting our efforts to protect the community and enable economic reopening and recovery. Our community has proven that together, we will prevail over this terrible disease.”

For more information on Chinese Hospital’s vaccination clinics, please visit our webpage (www.chinesehospital-sf.org/covid-19-vaccine) or our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/chinesehospitalsf).

Media Contact:
Jenni Lau
[email protected]
1-415-677-2378

In an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19, Chinese Hospital has continued its COVID-19 prevention campaign to urge the public to continue getting tested. While expanding vaccination clinics has been its recent focus, Chinese Hospital still maintains its on-site testing services to promote community access to testing. Chinese Hospital also holds weekly testing events at Chinatown Portsmouth Square, in collaboration with City of SF and other community partners including Teochew Community Center and Chinese Community Health Resource Center.

“Widespread vaccination is the key to overcoming the pandemic and returning to normal life, so I highly encourage all to get vaccinated when it is their turn.” Dr. Jian Zhang, CEO of Chinese Hospital says. “It also makes a tremendous difference if we continue to practice the other steps to reduce the disease spread: mask-wearing, social distancing, and testing. That goes for everyone, both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.”

With a recent decline in statewide and local positive cases and greater public attention and demand for vaccination, testing numbers have been steadily dropping—a concerning trend according to health experts.

“The community must make sure to get tested if they meet the testing criteria” Dr. Scott Huang, Medical Director of Chinese Community Health Services says. “Even with the increasing rate of vaccinations, there is a lot that we do not know about the vaccine’s efficacy in preventing viral transmission. At the time same, several variants of the virus are starting to emerge and we are still learning more about their infectiousness. High rates of testing are instrumental to our ability to detect these variants and prevent outbreaks, resulting in fewer hospitalizations and deaths.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following individuals should still get tested:
• People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
• People who have had close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
• People who have taken part in activities that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 because they cannot socially distance as needed, such as travel, attending large social or mass gatherings, or being in crowded indoor settings.
• People who have been asked or referred to get testing by their healthcare provider, local, external icon or state health department.

Chinese Hospital and City of SF will continue to hold free weekly testing events at Chinatown Portsmouth Square through the month of March from 10am to 2pm on Wednesdays (3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31). The community is also welcome to make an appointment for testing services at Chinese Hospital and Clinics by calling 1-628-228-2828.

Media Contact:

Jenni Lau

[email protected]

1-415-677-2378

After a year of leading the community through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, Chinese Hospital has reached a new milestone by increasing its vaccination efforts and offering COVID-19 vaccine to the broader community. As the COVID-19 vaccine provides the best defense against the virus, Chinese Hospital is committed to expanding access to vaccines by hosting community vaccination clinic events. The first clinic, held on January 29, 2021 at 445 Grant Avenue in SF Chinatown, was opened to community members age 65 and older, in addition to other eligible individuals in tier 1A.

“Chinese Hospital is striving to do everything it can to safeguard this community. I would like to thank SF Department of Public Health (SFDPH) for ensuring that we are equipped to provide the community with the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Jian Zhang, Chinese Hospital CEO. “With the support of SFDPH and our community partners, Chinese Hospital is able to offer this vaccine to more members of our community. We are excited to scale up our vaccination efforts and serve more groups as we receive additional supply and as we progress through the tier-system.”

In accordance with local and state guidelines, Chinese Hospital is now expanding access to vaccines to individuals age 65 and older, while continuing to vaccinate its staff, physicians, and other high-risk healthcare workers. As distribution recommendations evolve, Chinese Hospital will follow these guidelines as it continues to organize more community vaccination clinic events.

“I thank Chinese Hospital for partnering with the City to get our seniors and most vulnerable residents vaccinated as quickly as possible at a time when the State roll-out of the vaccine has been so challenging,” said SF District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who was in attendance of the event. “Our local healthcare partners are stepping up and demonstrating that we can safely and efficiently vaccinate San Francisco.”

Media Contact:
Jenni Lau
[email protected]
1-415-677-2378

Chinese Hospital has been serving the San Francisco for over 120 years and relentlessly upholding its mission “deliver quality health care in a cost-effective way, responsive to the community’s ethnic and cultural uniqueness, providing access to health care and acceptability to all socioeconomic levels” despite the COVID pandemic. The Installation Ceremony of the Chinese Hospital Board of Trustees 2021 was held on January 26th, demonstrating the new board’s commitment and dedication to leading the hospital towards a bright future.

The Board of Trustees 2021 took the oath of office, administered by San Francisco’s Mayor, Ms. London Breed. Mr. Kitman Chan and Mr. Harvey Louie are pleased to be re-elected as the chair and vice-chair of the board.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Chan welcomed all the 2021 board members and thanked all the 2020 board members for their time and dedication in making 2020 a success, especially considering the difficulties being faced by our industry this year. Then, he expressed his sincere appreciation to the management team, medical staff and employees, who have been working tirelessly to safeguard the health and well-being of the community. He also expressed his gratitude to all Chinese Hospital supporters.

“I am honored and humbled to be elected as the chair of the 2021 Chinese Hospital Board of Trustees. 2020 was a very challenging year, I am grateful to be the board chair to lead the board through the difficult year and made significant accomplishments through working collaboratively with the management team,” said Mr. Chan.
Mr. Chan also highlighted some accomplishments during 2020, including:
• Successfully safeguarded the Chinese community by providing education, testing, tracking, treating and vaccinating services in collaboration with San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), community leaders, media and many other elected officials and community partners.
• Outperformed most of other similar community hospitals nationwide with a positive bottom line in 2020 as a result of opening 2nd floor, elevating Emergency Department to basic services, and opening a cancer center.
• Received national and local mainstream media coverage for its COVID-19 community leadership efforts and successes, including New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, KPIX, and PBS, in addition to Chinese media outlets World Journal, Sing Tao Daily, China Press, and KTSF26. This coverage provided valuable exposure for Chinese Hospital and highlighted how we met the needs of our community.
Mr. Chan added, “2021 remains challenging and a lot more needs to be done to ensure Chinese Hospital’s financial stability so we can continue to safeguard the community.” Chinese Hospital will sustain and lead community efforts to provide COVID-related services to our community, and continue to collaborate with the city, key healthcare players in San Francisco and other physician groups to develop new clinical services, programs, and referral lines. In 2021, patient safety along with providing excellent patient experience remains our top priority. We will continue to improve the quality of care, as well as enhance our financial viability.
Chinese Hospital is a small community-owned nonprofit hospital and is here purely to serve the community. Over the years, we have played an important role in keeping our community as healthy as possible, especially in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.
At the end of the speech, Mr. Chan sincerely hopes that the community continues to support Chinese Hospital by using hospital and clinics’ services for their medical needs and selecting CCHP as their health plan. By continue working together, Chinese Hospital will grow and emerge stronger than ever in 2021.

Media Contact:
Jenni Lau
[email protected]
1-415-677-2378

After nearly a year of leading the community through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, Chinese Hospital is proud to take part in the public health vaccination efforts and administer the COVID-19 vaccine for its community. The COVID-19 vaccine has been considered the best form of defense against the virus and will be the first major step towards economic recovery and return to normalcy.

In accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chinese Hospital has provided initial vaccinations to its staff, physicians, and other high-risk healthcare workers in the Chinatown community, a two-dose process. As distribution recommendations continue to evolve, Chinese Hospital is beginning to vaccinate the broader community, starting with its most vulnerable patients ages 75 and older with pre-existing health conditions.

“Given how effective the COVID-19 vaccine is, we know everyone is eager and anxious to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Jian Zhang, Chinese Hospital CEO. “Because vaccine distribution has been logistically challenging for everyone, Chinese Hospital’s vaccine supply has been very limited. However, we will be able to vaccine more people as we receive more vaccines from local and state health authorities. Once that happens, Chinese Hospital will be ready to quickly begin vaccinating individuals ages 65 and older, followed by other groups as recommended.”

“Chinese Hospital has been here safeguarding the community since day 1 by delivering community education, offering access to testing, and providing care and treatment to all patients,” said Kitman Chan, Chinese Hospital Board of Trustees Chairman. “We want to assure the public that our focus now extends to making sure you have access to the vaccine when it is your turn. We ask for your cooperation and patience and in the meantime, please continue to wear your mask and practice social-distancing to protect yourself and your family during this concerning COVID-19 surge.”

To receive updates on the COVID-19 vaccine, please be sure to follow Chinese Hospital on Wechat (ID: ChineseHospital-SF) where we will communicate key vaccine updates. Additional information will also be available on our COVID-19 webpage (www.chinesehospital-sf.org/covid19-resources).

Media Contact:

Jenni Lau

[email protected]

1-415-677-2378

The pandemic has caused millions of people to lose their jobs and for many, that has meant losing their employer-sponsored health insurance as well. As part of its continued efforts to safeguard the community from the impacts of COVID-19, Chinese Hospital, in collaboration with CCHP, Jade Health Care Medical Group (Jade), and Chinese Community Health Resource Center (CCHRC), is offering in-person and remote enrollment services to help those who lost their insurance coverage during the pandemic apply for subsidized or no cost health insurance.

“Most of the people who are uninsured do not know they are eligible for financial assistance,” said Dr. Jian Zhang, CEO of Chinese Hospital. “If you have lost employment or have reduced income due to the pandemic, you may be eligible for financial assistance through Covered California; or qualify for low-cost or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal. We encourage anyone who needs coverage to contact us and sign up. In California, there is a tax penalty for being uninsured. Health insurance gives you peace of mind during the crisis and also helps you avoid the fine.”

Dr. Zhang added, “We offer bilingual services and resources. Anyone is welcome to contact us, and we will guide him or her through the process and the available resources here. Whichever plan you select, you will enjoy comprehensive health benefits that also cover COVID-19-related care and COVID-19 vaccines”

“We want the community to know that Chinese Hospital Health System is here to help you through this difficult time,” said Ms. Joyce Cheng, Executive Director of CCHRC. “In addition to providing COVID-19 health education during the pandemic, we also offer virtual educational seminars and individualized counseling to help people determine what health insurance and financial assistance they qualify for. We are also available in-person to assist you with the enrollment process in multiple locations including Chinatown, Portola, Excelsior, Sunset, and in Daly City.”

“Many of my patients have been financially impacted by the pandemic and are struggling to keep their health insurance. I am pleased that Chinese Hospital Health System is supporting our patients and community by offering financial counseling and enrollment services at no-cost to them. We all know having health insurance is critical to maintaining good health and particularly important during the pandemic,” said Dr. Weiwen Zheng, one of many community-minded Jade physicians.

To learn more about whether you qualify for subsidized or low-cost healthcare coverage, please contact us at 1-415-677-2473, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Media Contact:

Jenni Lau

[email protected]

1-415-677-2378