San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed and City officials today celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Castro-Mission Health Center, the City’s first neighborhood-based primary care clinic that has welcomed Castro and Mission communities for the past 57 years.

Castro-Mission Health Center patients can access primary care services such as routine checkups, podiatry, pharmacy consultation, women’s health services, behavioral health services and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs, as well as specialty services for LGBTQ+ youth. In addition, the City’s Gender Health SF Program will move to the health center later this fall to provide increased access to quality gender-affirming health care for underserved transgender and non-binary people. 

“The health and wellbeing of all San Franciscans is one of our top priorities. With a newly renovated Castro-Mission Health Center, the City is better equipped to serve the Castro and Mission,” said Mayor London Breed. “I am so happy to see the Clinic reopen and bring comprehensive, focused services so that we can reach more people and meet the needs of our LGTBQ+ and Trans communities.”   

The capital improvements completed in July 2022 include 12 upgraded state-of -the-art exam rooms, four new consultation rooms, plus an interior remodel, seismic upgrades, fire protection upgrades and improved air conditioning. The exterior renovations include low-maintenance landscaping surrounding the facility. 

“The reopening of the Castro-Mission Health Center and Dimensions Clinic is an important milestone for San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community, and I am especially excited to see Gender Health SF move into the new facility,” District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. “This clinic has been a critical resource in our community for over fifty years, and thanks to this renovation it will continue serving patients for generations to come.” 

“Today marks an important day for San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community, and the 4,000-plus residents who rely on this clinic each year” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who is gay and the only member of the Board openly living with HIV. “The Castro-Mission Health Center is rooted with deep history of providing care and services for those at risk of and living with HIV, and I am thrilled that the City has been able to bring it into the 21^st century with this comprehensive renovation.” 

The Castro-Mission Health Center at 3850 17^th Street is part of an important legacy of community-driven health services that the city established in 1965 as part of the first public health center in San Francisco. The center, formerly known as Health Center 1, played an integral role in the early HIV/AIDS epidemic and continues to serve as the third-largest HIV treatment and care provider in San Francisco’s primary care network. Operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), the Health Center continues to bring comprehensive health services to the Castro and Mission communities, and helps meet the increasing need for more integrated and holistic models of patient care.       

“We are excited to have this newly renovated clinic where our Department of Public Health staff can provide a wide array of services,” said Director of Health, Dr. Grant Colfax. “Our Latinx and LGBTQ residents are deserving of a state-of-the-art facility that caters to their healthcare and the Castro-Mission Health Center, situated at the intersection of the two neighborhoods, will play a significant role in filling that need.” 

The $14.8 million capital improvement project enhances and increases capacity of the facility. The Castro-Mission Health Center serves about 3,900 patients annually, mostly coming from the surrounding neighborhoods; more than half are long-term regular patients. Additionally, 51% of patients come from Latino communities and another 50% come from LGBTQ+ communities representing the deep historical roots in both neighborhoods.  

It is one of three primary care clinics including Southeast Family Health Center and the Maxine Hall Health Center, in the San Francisco Health Network that have now been renovated or rebuilt as part of the 2016 Public Health and Safety Bond. San Francisco Public Works provided project management, construction management and design services for the renovation, and Build Group served as the general contractor. More than a quarter of the work was performed by contractors designated as small businesses. 

“The upgrades that our dedicated Public Works teams were able to deliver – on budget and on time – will ensure that members of our community continue to get the excellent care they deserve,” said Interim Public Works Director Carla Short. “From seismic improvements to new and renovated exam rooms, our staff helped lay the foundation for a better, more comprehensive patient experience.” 

The Castro-Mission Health Center renovation project is primarily funded by the Public Health and Safety Bond, largely passed by San Francisco voters in 2016. The $350 million bond supports essential seismic and service delivery improvements to aging facilities that San Francisco relies on to protect the health and safety of residents, neighborhoods and businesses. The bond also funds capital improvements to Maxine Hall Health Center and Southeast Family Health Center, as well as clinic facilities at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. 

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