Chinese Hospital & Chee Kung Tong | San Francisco Community

Then & now · 昔日與今日

Two buildings. One continuing mission.

The original Chinese Hospital building on Jackson Street, shown in a historical photograph published by Chinese Hospital. — The original Jackson Street hospital, opened in 1925. Photograph date not specified.
Image source: Chinese Hospital ↗

Chinese Hospital’s modern patient tower illuminated at night, with the emergency department entrance below. — The modern patient tower, opened in April 2016. Photograph date not specified.
Image source: Chinese Hospital ↗

Our connection · 我們的淵源

Part of the hospital’s founding community

Chee Kung Tong’s relationship with Chinese Hospital reaches back to the community organizations that established the institution. The hospital’s Institutional Master Plan, filed with San Francisco Planning, names Chee Kung Tong among the founding organizations represented on its Board of Trustees.[2]

That founding effort brought together fifteen Chinatown organizations, family associations and benevolent societies. Their collective fundraising helped create a hospital for a community that had faced exclusion from essential care.[2]

Today, Chinese Hospital describes a board representing sixteen community organizations. Its 2026 roster identifies Clifton Leung as the board member representing Chee Kung Tong.[3]

Chinese Hospital staff group in black and white, circa 1920s — A historical group photograph from Chinese Hospital’s history collection; described by the hospital as circa 1920s.
Image source: Chinese Hospital ↗

Community stewardship is part of our lodge’s tradition of mutual aid: carrying responsibility beyond the meeting hall and into the life of Chinatown.

Service in the present · 服務社群

Clifton Leung
Five years of board service

Clifton Leung, president of Chee Kung Tong’s San Francisco chapter, has served on Chinese Hospital’s Board of Trustees for five years.

The hospital’s own publications document his representation of Chee Kung Tong in its 2021 annual report, its 2024 and 2025 board listings, and its current 2026 roster.[4][5][6][3]

His service carries forward the lodge’s connection to an institution built around community needs, cultural understanding and access to care.

Meet our executive members →

Group photograph at Chinese Hospital’s 2026 Board of Trustees installation ceremony. — Chinese Hospital Board of Trustees installation ceremony · January 23, 2026.
Image source: Chinese Hospital ↗

A history of care · 百年醫療傳承

From a dispensary to a community hospital

Chinese Hospital traces its beginnings to the Tung Wah Dispensary, established in 1899 for Chinese residents facing discrimination and limited access to healthcare. Western physicians and Chinese herbalists both worked there. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, community organizing eventually led to the Chinese Hospital Association in 1923 and the Jackson Street hospital in 1925.[1]

1899

Tung Wah Dispensary begins serving the community.[1]

1906

The earthquake and fire destroy the dispensary; the need for community care endures.[5]

1923

Fifteen community organizations form the Chinese Hospital Association.[1]

1925

Chinese Hospital opens at 835 Jackson Street.[1]

1979

A new facility expands capacity and meets changing hospital requirements.[1]

1986–1989

The health plan (1986) and community health resource center (1989) extend the institution’s reach.[5]

1996 onward

Neighborhood clinics bring care beyond Chinatown, beginning in the Sunset district.[8]

2016

The new patient tower celebrates its grand opening on April 18.[1]

2026

A new board installation and leadership transition open the next chapter of service.[7]

Continuing the mission · 薪火相傳

Care that grows with the community

The 2016 patient tower expanded emergency, intensive care and other hospital services. Neighborhood clinics also brought care closer to families living beyond Chinatown. The hospital’s story reflects both a permanent place in the neighborhood and a willingness to follow the community as its needs change.[8]

At its January 23, 2026 board installation, Chinese Hospital highlighted work on cancer care, skilled nursing and outreach in San Mateo County. Michael Chung became CEO following Dr. Jian Zhang’s retirement; she continued as a board advisor.[7]

Chee Kung Tong’s connection belongs within this wider effort: many organizations sharing responsibility for a community institution and its future.

Visit Chinese Hospital ↗Explore our lodge’s history →

Sources & photographic credits

The records behind this story

The five-year service duration and Clifton Leung’s chapter presidency are chapter-provided information as of September 2026. Historical and current board references are linked above. Photographs are sourced from Chinese Hospital’s official history page and its 2026 board-installation announcement; dates identify buildings or events, and are not inferred photograph dates. Image rights remain with their respective owners.