The Sister Mary Philippa Health Center is at the core of St. Mary’s Medical Center’s response to community needs. The Center provides a coordinated program of comprehensive outpatient health services. These services include a broad spectrum of care including, but not limited to, adult primary care, medical and surgical specialties, HIV care, advice nurse, social services, translation services, patient advocacy, diabetes education, nutrition, and pharmacy services. The Center serves a socially and ethnically diverse population of patients, and these patients are served by attending physicians, residents, fellows, nurses and other staff.
Programs and Services
The Sr. Mary Philippa Health Center provides comprehensive outpatient health services, including:
- Adult primary care
- Medical and surgical specialties
- HIV care
- Advice nurse
- Social services
- Translation services
- Patient advocacy
- Diabetes education
- Nutrition
- Pharmacy
- Free blood pressure screenings every Monday from 12:30 to 1: 30 p.m.
- School-based education and psychological testing for parochial schools
Additionally, the Center has working relationships with the Department of Public Health and several community agencies to provide primary care for their clients. These agencies include: Shanti Project, New Leaf Community Services, Baker Places, Walden House, Delancy Street and the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center.
Primary care in the adult clinic is provided mostly by categorical house staff, each having one half-day session per week. House staff on “block rotation” provide access for urgent medical problems on a daily basis. Faculty and attending physicians provide close medical supervision with a ratio of three house staff to one supervisor. Specialty consultation clinics are staffed by attending physicians and may have residents and fellows assisting.
The Center serves an ethnically and socially diverse population. Approximately 40% of the patients are Indo-Asian with the largest group being Vietnamese. Cambodian, Chinese and Laotian make up the rest of the Indo-Asian patients. About 20% of the patient population is Hispanic and another 27% are Caucasian. Native Americans comprise 3% of our patients, and African American patients comprise the remaining 10%. The Center provides care across a broad age spectrum with about 5,000 patients currently registered. About 20% of the visits are geriatrics. Frequent diagnoses range from hypertension and diabetes to substance abuse and cardiopulmonary problems. The Health Center has about 550 adult HIV positive patients.
The Center supports St. Mary's mission by treating all patients in our geographic area regardless of their race, country of origin or their ability to pay. Approximately 1,700 of our patients have no health coverage and receive their care free of charge or at a reduced rate.
Appointments
To make an appointment for financial evaluation, please call Carolyn Snaer at 415-750-5506.
To register at the Clinic for services, please call the registration desk at 415-750-5500.
Hours
Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for appointments, except Tuesdays when the clinic opens at 10 a.m.
After Clinic Hours
The resource/advice nurse line is available 24-hours a day. After hours the hospital medical resident on call answers the triage line, gives advice and makes appropriate referrals to the Health Center or Emergency Departments as necessary.
Location
2235 Hayes Street, 5th Floor (Hayes and Shrader)
