Davies Medical Center: Overview

San Francisco, California

Friday, January 10, 1997

1:14 PM Pacific

Welcome to Our Hospital	Clinical Highlights	\| Overview \| Excimer Laser Vision \| Geriatric Psychiatry \| HIV Institute \| Microsurgery \| Occupational Health \| Plastic Surgery \| Rehabilitation Services \| Clinical Trials \|
Community Education	General Information

Overview of Our Hospital

Page Highlights

Excimer Laser Vision

Geriatric Psychiatry

Hemodialysis

HIV Research and Treatment

Institute for Plastic Surgery

Microsurgery

Nutrition/Metabolism Clinic

Occupational Health

Rehabilitation Services

Davies Medical Center is a 341 bed independent, non-profit community facility conveniently located a short distance from downtown San Francisco, California.

History
San Francisco's second oldest hospital, Davies was founded as German Hospital by the German General Benevolent Society in 1858 during the Gold Rush era. The facility grew over the years and in 1917 changed its name to Franklin Hospital after Benjamin Franklin. Franklin Hospital continued as an excellent general hospital until 1956, when the German Benevolent Society turned over its' assets to a public-spirited board of trustees. The board was led by Ralph K. Davies, who staged an intensive planning and fundraising campaign to create the present modern structure which opened in 1968. When Mr. Davies died in 1971, Franklin Hospital was renamed Ralph K. Davies Medical Center in his honor. The name has since been shortened to Davies Medical Center.

Convenient Location
Davies Medical Center, located just a short distance from downtown San Francisco, consists of three buildings: North Tower, South Tower, and the Medical Office Building, which house doctors' private offices or office suites and the Outpatient Pharmacy. In 1994, Davies' three-story parking garage was completed.

Innovative Specialties
In addition to its general hospital services including primary care and 24-hour emergency services, Davies has several innovative programs.

Microsurgery
The Microsurgery unit, under the leadership of Dr. Harry J. Buncke, is world-renowned for dramatic replantations of severed fingers, toes, limbs and scalps; transplantations of tissue flaps and other body parts, such as the ground breaking toe-to-thumb transplant. Today, the esteemed Harry J. Buncke Microsurgical Research Laboratory at Davies teaches resident fellows techniques using microscopes and needles finer than human hair. Microsurgery forms part of Davies' Institute for Plastic Surgery, which specializes in reconstructive surgery following trauma, cancer, congenital defects and burns, as well as aesthetic plastic surgery.

Harry J. Buncke, MD

HIV Research and Treatment
Davies' Institute for HIV Research and Treatment was inaugurated in 1988 in response to the AIDS epidemic. Physicians at Davies were among the first to recognize the epidemic in the early 1980s and Davies has since become nationally recognized for research on new drugs and innovative treatments that allow patients to continue working and living relatively normal lives when they would otherwise be confined to home or a hospital. These include outpatient infusion services, drop-in programs and support groups.

Excimer Laser Vision Unit
Davies Medical Center is the only hospital in the Bay Area equipped with the excimer laser and the trained staff to conduct Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) surgery. The SVS Apex excimer laser, by Summit Technology of Waltham, Mass., uses "cold" ultraviolet light beams, instead of knives, to correct myopia (nearsightedness). PRK is quick and precise. Performed using local anesthetic eye drops, the outpatient surgery takes only a few minutes. Post-operative care comprises a few outpatient visits and eye drops.

Hemodialysis
The Hemodialysis unit was the first in the world to provide high-flux dialysis for kidney patients. In the mid-1980s, it pioneered the Fresenius temperature control monitoring and other therapies to lessen treatment time and reduce kidney disease morbidity.

Rehabilitation Services
Constructed in 1968, the rehabilitation wing of the medical center was one of the first facilities in the country designed solely for rehabilitation care. Our comprehensive rehabilitation program offers multidisciplinary services to victims of trauma, amputation, stroke, closed-head injuries, spinal cord injuries, burns and pulmonary problems.

Occupational Health
Davies Occupational Health offers comprehensive health care to its employees and the employees of its client companies. The program supports a full continuum of services including preventive programs, medical surveillance, worker health, safety evaluation and education, first injury care and rehabilitation, vocational services and return to work.

Geriatric Psychiatry Service
The Geriatric Psychiatry Service opened in 1994 to serve the mental health needs of the Bay Area's increasing older adult population. Its progressive and multidisciplinary approach treats elders who require acute psychiatric care in a hospital setting.

Nutrition/Metabolism Clinic Can Address Your Nutritional Concerns
If you are interested in improving and maintaining optimum nutrition for your lifestyle, the Nutrition/Metabolism Clinic at Davies can help. The first in San Francisco to offer a multi-disciplinary approach to nutrition, the Clinic manages each patient by a team that includes a physician, dietitian, respiratory therapist, nurse and pharmacist. The Nutrition/Metabolism Clinic serves the needs of people with general health concerns, as well as those with special nutritional problems caused by chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, HIV, obesity, and kidney, heart and gastrointestinal diseases. The medical team will evaluate by computer your dietary habits, offer counseling, and create a personal diet plan. Insurance may cover your Clinic visits if you are referred by your physician. Please check with your insurer. For more information about the Nutrition/Metabolism Clinic or to schedule an appointment, please call 565-6339.

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