San Francisco DPH Executes 127 Layoffs as $40M Budget Cuts Take Effect — Community Health Workers and Mental Health Staff Hardest Hit

San Francisco's Department of Public Health executed 127 layoffs following City approval of $40M in DPH budget cuts — Wave 1 of reductions stemming from SF's $877M structural deficit. Positions eliminated include community health workers, mental health counselors, and substance use treatment staff serving unhoused patients.

FQHC partners in SF are fielding requests from displaced DPH patients seeking alternative care, creating patient volume surges at already-strained community health centers like Asian Health Services and SF Community Health Center.