Designing the Future of Pediatric Health

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland has delivered world-class care to Bay Area families for more than 100 years. In 2031, we will elevate that legacy with a new, modern, child-centered hospital building that will allow us to serve more patients, capitalize on the latest technology, and transform pediatric medicine in Northern California. We spoke with Nicholas Holmes, MD, MBA, president of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, about how this project will redefine children's health for generations to come.

There is so much to look forward to about this new building. What are you most excited about?

It's really hard to choose! This project represents so much for our future. We’re not just putting up a new building, we’re also raising the standard of care for every child across Northern California. In many ways, this new space really completes our comprehensive pediatric health system, firmly establishing UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals as the anchor of children’s health care for families throughout the region. That's huge!

How will the new space enable us to care for more patients and their families?

There are so many important ways. The new hospital will feature a state-of-the-art Emergency Department (ED) that ultimately will be twice the size of what we have now. We are one of only three level 1 pediatric trauma centers in Northern California, so kids are flown into our Oakland ED from all over the state and beyond. This expansion means those children will arrive at a facility that’s bigger, more modern, and designed to ease the experience for the entire family.

We’re also tripling the number of private patient rooms, from 39 to 137. So yes, we will have more space for more patients, but honestly, it goes beyond beds. It’s about giving patients, families, and staff environments that feel welcoming, safe, comfortable, and healing. These details matter when you’re going through a difficult health challenge.
In addition to these thoughtfully designed clinical spaces, there will be therapeutic gardens, terraces, and lounges that we hope will make a real difference for our families.

Technology is a significant theme in this project. How will it shape care in the new facility?

Technology is huge for us. In Oakland, our youngest building is 56 years old, and our oldest building is 100 years old. But even in those outdated spaces, our teams have done incredible work, providing high-quality clinical care day in and day out while also pioneering remarkable scientific breakthroughs. We are on the cusp of curing sickle cell disease, for example!

Just imagine what they'll be able to do in a space built for the future. The new Emergency Department, the advanced neonatal intensive care unit, and seven new state-of-the-art surgical suites will be equipped with the technology our teams need to perform at their best.

A new inpatient behavioral health unit will be one of the centerpieces of the new building. Why is this so important to the region?

This is something we’re really proud of. It will be the first of its kind for youths in Northern California, and it fills a huge gap in care. Kids in crisis deserve expert, compassionate mental health services close to home, and this unit will provide that.

This new resource also reflects our core belief as a hospital community: Children’s health is not just about healing bodies; it’s about supporting the whole child. Mental and emotional health are fundamental to that.

Our hope is that this behavioral health unit becomes a destination program in this region — a place families can count on to provide the specialized support that young people need during an incredibly tough time in their lives.

How can our readers get involved in helping make this vision a reality?

Honestly, we can only build this future with the help of our community. Philanthropy is what makes projects like this possible — it’s what allows us to dream bigger, move faster, and create the kind of hospital kids in Northern California deserve. If this new space inspires you, we’d love to connect. Every contribution, big or small, helps us take another step toward opening these doors.