Bay Area Children’s Hospitals Receive $100 Million Gift

SAN FRANCISCO — A $100 million gift from Lynne and Marc Benioff will benefit the continuous development of the UC San Francisco (UCSF) Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland.

The donation will be used to strengthen existing programs in basic and clinical research and patient care as well as attract new expertise in order to accelerate the development of innovative solutions for children’s health in the Bay Area, nationally and globally, according to UCSF.

“The generosity and commitment of Marc and Lynne Benioff will strengthen Oakland’s thriving medical research community and ensure doctors on both sides of the Bay have world-class facilities to care for children, regardless of income,” said Gov. Jerry Brown, in a statement.

In recognition of the affiliation of the two hospitals, the Children’s Hospital Oakland will be renamed UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and the current UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital will now be the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. Together, the hospitals will be named UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

“We are building a world-class pediatric facility that puts the needs of our patients and their families at the forefront,” said Mark Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. “This donation ensures we can continue to advance the most innovative clinical care within the new hospital, as well as outside its walls by partnering with colleagues at our research campus and with Children’s Oakland physicians and staff.”

When it opens in February 2015, the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco at UCSF Mission Bay will be part of a 289-bed integrated hospital complex for children, women and cancer patients. Construction of the new children’s hospital is currently on schedule and below budget. The 183-bed hospital will feature a rooftop helipad to transport critically ill newborns, children and pregnant women to UCSF from community hospitals; a dedicated pediatric emergency room designed just for children; as well as private and semi-private rooms in the new intensive care nursery.

"We have been deeply inspired by the incredible kids, doctors, researchers, and administrators at both UCSF and Children’s Hospital Oakland," said Lynne and Marc Benioff in a joint statement. "We feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to support the best children’s hospitals in the world."