How ZSFG Pediatrics Delivers on the Promise of Health for All Children

On a Monday morning at the Children’s Health Center, toddlers receive vaccinations, teens arrive for sports exams and mental health support, and parents connect with food and housing resources — all before lunch. This is what equitable pediatric care looks like in action.

At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), the UC San Francisco Department of Pediatrics is delivering on a bold promise: compassionate, high-quality, and holistic care for every child. As San Francisco’s pediatric safety net, ZSFG serves thousands of families each year, nearly all covered by Medi-Cal or other public programs.

“Our job is to make care easier, not harder,” says Shonul Jain, MD, Chief of the UCSF Division of Pediatrics at ZSFG. “We’re here to meet families where they are and help them thrive.”

A Safety Net That Works for Families

ZSFG offers the full spectrum of pediatric services — from newborn care to adolescent mental health — all under one roof. At the heart of this model is the Children’s Health Center, where primary, urgent, and specialty care come together in a space designed for families. This approach makes it easier for parents to manage appointments, stay consistent with care, and build long-term relationships with trusted providers.

“Through close collaborations between our physicians and our support staff, the clinic is uniquely welcoming to the most vulnerable patients from our community,” says Gaspar Rivera, MD, MPH, Co-Medical Director for the Children's Health Center and assistant professor of Pediatrics at UCSF. "The heart of our clinic is our medical assistants, front desk staff, and community health workers who reflect the people we serve.”

In 2024 alone, the Children’s Health Center completed over 14,000 visits in primary care and 12,000 in pediatric urgent care.

 

Urgent Care, Every Day of the Year

ZSFG’s pediatric urgent care clinic plays a vital role in the community, especially during high-need times like the back-to-school and winter respiratory seasons. Open nearly every day of the year, the clinic offers same-day, drop-in visits for all children needing urgent care.

During these acute visits, children can catch up on immunizations, adolescents can get STI screening, and families can access an array of support for social needs such as housing, food access, and childcare, as well as multilingual support for enrolling in the online patient portal, MyChart.

What begins as a visit for a cold often becomes a gateway to a much broader system of care. The team’s proactive approach in urgent care helps up to 60% of eligible patients seen in the clinic become up-to-date on their routine vaccines during their visit, and 30% of eligible families utilize the assistance for MyChart.

Specialty Services for Complex Conditions

Children with chronic or complex conditions can see specialists in fields like asthma, cardiology, dermatology, and developmental health — all within the same familiar clinic. Programs like Bright Bodies and Healthy Lifestyles support sustainable changes in nutrition and physical activity to help set children up for a healthy future.

“We do everything we can to address a child’s health needs during every visit,” says David Gordon, MD, MPH, associate professor of Pediatrics at UCSF and Co-Medical Director for the Children's Health Center alongside Dr. Rivera. “Whether they come for urgent care or primary care, we find ways to connect them to specialty support — and vice versa. We know it’s not always easy for families to come in, so we make every visit count.”

Putting Prevention First

Keeping kids healthy is just as important as treating illness. ZSFG’s new open-access scheduling system allows families to make appointments when they need them, dramatically reducing the waitlist for new patients looking for care.

Increasing patient enrollment in MyChart and targeted outreach has helped improve on-time immunizations and reduce missed visits, particularly for school-aged children. It’s a proactive model to support wellness, school readiness, and long-term health.

Behavioral Health Woven into Everyday Care

Mental and behavioral health are fully integrated into the care model. Through the HealthySteps program, young children and their caregivers receive developmental screenings and early support during routine visits. ZSFG was also the pilot site for California’s Medi-Cal dyadic benefit, which supports care models that address both child and caregiver mental health.

 

For teens and older children, primary care providers can access real-time behavioral health consultation, and a new psychiatry clinic offers additional support for emotional and mental well-being. At ZSFG, mental health is not a referral — it’s part of the visit.

Built for Access, Connection, and Long-Term Impact

ZSFG’s pediatric team is always looking ahead — building partnerships with community organizations, designing services that reflect the realities of public coverage, and embedding continuous improvement into everything they do. Whether a child needs a vaccine, a specialist, or access to food, the Children’s Health Center at ZSFG is here with trusted care that’s accessible, coordinated, and centered on families.

“We care for children with complex lives and needs,” says Dr. Jain. “Our job is to remove financial, cultural, and structural barriers — so that all children in San Francisco can receive the care they deserve.”

This is how we move from promises to progress — one visit, one child, one family at a time.

To learn more about our team and our mission to ensure every child in San Francisco can thrive, visit the UCSF Division of Pediatrics at ZSFG webpage.