SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Following the fatal workplace stabbing of a UCSF social worker at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) has pledged a $15 million annual investment to expand security and safety measures, according to a statement released April 22 by the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union.
The union’s statement addressed SFDPH’s recent Safety and Security Assessment, which was conducted after the death of UCSF social worker and UPTE member Alberto Rangel.
According to the assessment highlighted in UPTE’s statement, Rangel was working Dec. 4, 2025, in Ward 86 of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital when he was stabbed in the back by a patient.
The assessment outlines the incident with time stamps, explaining that shortly after witnesses intervened, the assailant was taken into custody by a sheriff’s deputy and Rangel was transported to the hospital’s emergency department. Rangel later died Dec. 6, 2025, in the intensive care unit.
UPTE Executive Vice President and UCSF health care worker Matias Campos characterized the incident as the result of “understaffing and high turnover [which] are chronic safety issues — with solutions in plain sight.”
“It is shameful that one of the wealthiest institutions in one of the wealthiest cities in the world has not made the basic investments necessary to keep San Francisco’s healthcare workers and residents safe,” Campos said.
The assessment documents the days leading up to the incident, the day of the attack and the days that followed. It states that the assailant made threats to sue staff and exhibited “elevated behaviors” as early as Nov. 20, 2025.
The assailant also made multiple attempts to see a physician, but according to the assessment, staff members were unable to reach and follow up with the individual to make a treatment plan.
In its account of the day of the attack, the report states that despite multiple attempts by security to contact the assailant and a sheriff’s deputy posted at the ward, the stabbing occurred “suddenly and without warning” during a conversation in the reception area between the assailant and Rangel.
SFDPH identified several “improvement areas” in the assessment, including the need for centralized and consistent threat identification, investigation, follow-up and escalation, improved staffing and communication between clinical and security teams, and clearer processes for responding to threats.
In response to those findings, SFDPH pledged a $15 million annual investment for continued improvement and modernization of security infrastructure, staffing resources and policy, in an effort to cultivate what it described as a “culture of safety.”
Immediate actions include the installation of weapons detection systems in the building housing Ward 86, the creation of a 24/7 Threat Management Team and the hiring of additional security personnel to manage escalation protocols, according to the assessment.
SFDPH also acknowledged the “traumatic impact” of Rangel’s death and said the loss requires extensive emotional support for staff. The department said it is implementing support services in both individual and group settings.
UPTE said its members have long campaigned for stronger workplace safety precautions and safer staffing levels. Last month, members rallied at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus with support from local leaders.
As UPTE members continue to advocate for stronger protections, the union said technical upgrades must be paired with adequate clinician-to-patient ratios to help prevent future tragedies.
SFDPH said in its assessment that while “no system can ever be entirely risk-free,” the continued adaptation of security measures is a “foundational element” of providing adequate and equitable care for San Francisco health care workers and the patients they serve.
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