Community Party at New CPMC Hospital on Van Ness

There was a free grand opening celebration on February 2nd at the new, 11-story CPMC (California Pacific Medical Center) hospital that has been rising at Van Ness and Geary at the former location of the Jack Tar Hotel.

In the parking garage, there was surprisingly fancy finger food being offered to the hordes.

Entertainment was also provided by musicians on a couple of stages throughout the ground floor...

...including the raucous band above.

Sutter Health is a metastatic "non-profit" health organization that has swallowed various hospital chains into its consolidated system in Northern California, a monopolistic practice that has resulted in some of the highest medical rates in the country.

Their business practices have been so egregious that the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued Sutter Health last year "alleging the hospital giant engaged in anticompetitive conduct that drove up prices for patients and employers in the state," according to a USA Today article.

In other words, this community party, with all its freebies, was very much a public relations effort.

Tours of the upper floors of the hospital were being offered...

...but the crush of people waiting to get on the elevators was claustrophobia inducing...

...so I wandered further and stumbled on the children's activity room...

...where temporary tattoos were being offered.

Also on the ground floor facing Van Ness with ceiling height glass walls is a huge, lovely cafeteria...

...where I snagged a perfect "happy health professionals" stock photography shot.