Founded to support Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, we have now expanded our reach to include the underserved elderly and severely disabled throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Established in 1866, Laguna Honda is one of the largest, most modern skilled nursing facilities in the United States today. The facility cares for nearly 760 vulnerable San Franciscans. While we continue to help those residents, the need has grown throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for activities that give the elderly and disabled a better experience of everyday life.
That’s why we’re here.
WE SUPPORT THE CARE OF:
San Francisco Bay Area residents from diverse backgrounds
People aging in place and aging in assisted living, residential care, memory care, and skilled nursing facilities
People with limited mobility/no mobility
People with traumatic brain injury, Multiple Sclerosis, and stroke
OUR HISTORY
1956
CityBridge Laguna Honda is the latest evolution in our organization’s mission, to enhance the lives of the SF Bay Area’s vulnerable elderly and disabled beyond the daily routines of medical treatment and residential care.
We were founded in 1956 and received non-profit status in 1957 as Laguna Honda Hospital Volunteers, Inc., a philanthropic organization established to help fund amenities for residents of Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center (Laguna Honda), a 62-acre skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility owned and operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
San Francisco businessman Gerald Simon founded the group to help fund amenities for Laguna Honda residents. Early projects included getting patients modern wheelchairs, furnishing the visitors’ lounge and dining room, buying a color TV and player piano, sourcing power tools for the craft shop, and outfitting a new beauty parlor.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Gerald Simon Theater at Laguna Honda was a venue for performers like Bing Crosby, Merv Griffin, Eddie Fisher, Phil Harris, Donald O’Connor, and Frankie Lane.
Bing Crosby hosted the Laguna Honda Holiday Show for many years. Following Bing was Eddie Fisher, Frankie Layne, and Tennessee Ernie Ford, who all entertained, creating a highlight of the year for residents and staff.
1990s – 2010
In the late 1990s, we reached a turning point as Laguna Honda faced many challenges including antiquated facilities, low staff, and residential overcrowding. We were a major supporter of Laguna Honda as it sought funding to rebuild its facilities. That endeavor led to the passing of a significant bond measure in 1999 and the envisioning of a new facility.
As we expanded into new areas of fundraising and support, we renamed our organization Friends of Laguna Honda.
In 2010 Laguna Honda opened three new buildings uniquely suited to support the skilled nursing and rehabilitation programs. Laguna Honda is the only publicly funded long-term care facility of its kind in the U.S. It is also the first LEED-certified green hospital in California.
2020 – today
From 2010 to the early 2020s, we witnessed a growing number of underserved elderly and disabled outside of Laguna Honda who would benefit from our services. Seeing the need to reach beyond Laguna Honda, in 2023, we expanded our mission to provide services to the same people as those residing in Laguna Honda, vulnerable elderly, and adults with disabilities residing elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area.
As part of this expanded mission, we renamed ourselves CityBridge Laguna Honda.
CityBridge is a symbol of our mission to help people receive care across the bridges to other parts of the Bay Area. CityBridge also symbolizes building bridges between services and those we help. Laguna Honda means “Deep Lagoon” and is a vital part of San Francisco’s geographic history for which the original Laguna Honda Hospital was named.
CityBridge Laguna Honda brings happiness and the simple pleasures of everyday living to some of the Bay Area’s elderly, poorest, and most seriously disabled adults. These include people suffering the effects of stroke, traumatic brain injury, severe memory loss, MS, Alzheimer’s, HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and those facing end of life who require palliative\hospice care.
Join us as we work to make life better for the vulnerable elderly and severely disabled throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and to share the compassion that represents the heart of San Francisco.
“Bringing human connection to our senior communities in the San Francisco Bay Area has become even more important after the isolation caused by the pandemic and continuing today.”
