***PRESS RELEASE***

OVER 1,000 UNINSURED RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ENROLLED IN HEALTHY SAN FRANCISCO, MAYOR NEWSOM’S UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE ACCESS PROGRAM

San Francisco, CA - Today in Chinatown Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the enrollment of the first 1,000 uninsured residents in the Healthy San Francisco program. Healthy San Francisco provides uninsured residents with a medical home where they can receive access to primary and preventive care, such as emergency care, mental health care and pharmaceuticals.

"Community response to the program has exceeded our expectations and underscores why Healthy San Francisco is needed," said Newsom. "Every day, San Francisco is one step closer to making sure that its uninsured residents have access to an organized system that provides affordable, quality health care. We’ve reached a significant milestone."

On July 2, 2007 Healthy San Francisco began its first phase of implementation in the Chinatown community at Chinatown Public Health Center and North East Medical Services. When the program began, it was projected that enrollment would be 600 - 1,000 by the end of August.

Under the Healthy San Francisco program, uninsured residents who may never have gone to a doctor in San Francisco are now receiving needed primary care. "Our enrollment success proves that Healthy San Francisco is the right direction for our city," said Newsom.

Newsom announced that the next phase of the program implementation will begin mid-September and will include more health centers for enrollment and will continue to target the City’s most vulnerable residents who have incomes at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. Healthy San Francisco will be phased in over an 18-24 month period.

Healthy San Francisco is administered by the San Francisco Department of Public Health in partnership with the San Francisco Health Plan. The public can obtain information about the program by calling 415.615.4500 or visiting www.sfhp.org.

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