San Francisco General Hospital will soon have a new name and a new face — thanks to Facebook.
Specifically, it’s thanks to the social media giant’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan. The San Francisco General Hospital Foundation says the couple’s $75 million gift is.{{more}}”believed to be the largest single private gift from individuals to a public hospital in the United States.
It’s not just a substantial gift, but a personal one. Chan worked for years at the facility — the Bay Area city’s lone trauma center — during her pediatric residency. She came away struck by the importance of San Francisco’s main “safety net” hospital (where more than 70% of patients are underinsured or uninsured), as well as impressed by those who work there.
“Day in and day out, I witness the compassion and dedication of my colleagues as they work tirelessly to deliver the best available care to all of our patients,” Chan said in a statement released Friday through the foundation. “Mark and I are proud to support such an important public hospital.
The General, as it’s known, is in the process of a “rebuild” to create a nine-story, 453,000-square foot main hospital and new trauma center. It’s scheduled to open in December.
