THE MISSION 

The mission of the CVP is to conduct and disseminate innovative research to prevent and treat chronic diseases in people most at risk.

THE BACKGROUND

SFGH is one of the premier public hospitals in the country, and UCSF consistently ranks as a top medical school.  All SFGH doctors are also UCSF faculty members.  In partnership, these two institutions provide outstanding patient care and produce ground-breaking research that has changed the face of medicine worldwide.

THE CHALLENGE

SFGH is best known for its pioneering work on HIV/AIDS, its Level One Trauma Center, and outstanding alumni who have served as leaders in American medicine and public health.  However, just as important is the high quality patient care that SFGH and its affiliated clinics provide to more than 100,000 people annually, most of whom are the working poor.

These patients often struggle with multiple challenges to health, including poverty, low literacy, speaking little or no English, living in unsafe neighborhoods, or being ethnic minorities.  These vulnerabilities often overlap and conspire in ways that make patients

...more likely to develop chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, coronary heart disease and depression.  These diseases are quiet kilers, causing early disability and death in devastatingly high number of poor and minority patients.

...less likely to get the medical help they need.  Poverty and lack of health insurance often limit patients' access to medical care, while limited literacy and English proficiency can make it more difficult to receive effective care.