UCSF-Mt Zion Housecalls Program was started in 1999 with a philanthropic gift from the Richard and Maria Ury Endowment in honor of Dr Harry Weinstein. The original goal was to teach medical students about home care. The critical need for primary care medical services for homebound elders has become very evident, and Housecalls has evolved to embrace the mission to deliver medical care in the home to frail elders in addition to teaching the next generation of providers about housecalls.

We provide primary care to homebound elders in San Francisco. Elders become homebound for a variety of reasons. The narrow staircases, hills, and architecture of San Francisco can make leaving a home or apartment difficult or impossible. Physical illness and frailty often increase with age, and mental illness and cognitive disorders can effectively trap an elder in their home.

Our patients are of every ethnicity and of all socioeconomic levels. We serve all neighborhoods in San Francisco. The average age of our patients is 87 years. Seventy-five percent are women. Referrals come from UCSF and community physicians, home care agencies, social workers, adult protective services, and directly from families.

Our teaching program has been very popular. Each year Housecalls trains approximately 100 third year medical students, 10 Internal Medicine residents, 24 nursing, pharmacy and dental students (through the AGRC Interdisciplinary Team Training program) and the Geriatrics fellows.Their evaluations have spoken very highly of the quality of teaching and the impact of treating patients in their home environment. Students and residents get a very different perspective than in the clinic or the hospital, as our care is much more patient and family-focused.

Housecalls accepts Medicare, Medi-Cal and supplemental insurance coverage, but relies on philanthropic support from foundations and individuals to fund its operations. Housecalls has 501(c)(3) nonprofit status through the UCSF Foundation and tax-deductible donations are appreciated.

To find out more about the program, make a donation or refer a patient, please call the program at (415) 514-3577.

Isabelle Allemann, MD
Associate Physician
Board Certified in Internal Medicine

Louise Aronson, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

Rebecca Conant, MD
Director, Housecalls
Associate Clinical Professor
Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

Michael Harper, MD
Associate Clinical Professor
Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

Josette Riviera, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

Lydia Jackson
Housecalls Program Manager