UCSF tells workers at Ward 86, site of fatal stabbing, to stop talking

The University of California, San Francisco told workers at Ward 86, its HIV clinic and the site of a fatal stabbing of a social worker earlier this month, to refrain from talking to anyone about the incident without an attorney present, because the university was put “on notice” of potential litigation regarding the stabbing. 

“It is critical that you do not discuss any aspects of this case with anyone else unless UC counsel is present,” read the Friday email from UCSF’s litigation risk officer John Toal. The message asked employees to follow a link to “acknowledge receipt” of the email, a move reminiscent of a non-disclosure agreement. 

Already, workers have been reluctant to talk to reporters, and in most cases will only do so anonymously. 

The instruction appears to be an attempt to keep workers from speaking publicly prior to what could be very significant litigation. Hospital workers had been calling for better safety protocols long before the stabbing, and in the weeks since, have been speaking out publicly, saying their pleas were ignored. 

“We are committed to a thorough and transparent investigation, and encourage anyone with relevant information to come forward and share what they know,” said a UCSF spokesperson when queried about the Friday email.

“The preservation notice we issued is required by law. The language advising recipients not to broadly circulate the notice is standard and intended to safeguard the integrity of the investigation.”

Workers have also called out failures by the sheriff’s department, which provides security at San Francisco General Hospital, and the Department of Public Health, which runs the hospital. 

Following the Friday email, Ward 86 employees, fearing legal repercussions, were afraid to express their reactions to the directive, even anonymously. 

Workers present at the time of the incident have been off since Dec. 4, when the stabbing occurred. A second email, also sent last week, instructed employees to return to their jobs after Dec. 19.

On Dec. 4, 2025, Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, a patient, arrived at Ward 86 seeking a doctor he had allegedly threatened on multiple occasions, including that day. The doctor and San Francisco City Clinic, which he visited earlier in the day, had asked for additional security support. A sheriff’s deputy was sent to the ward to guard him. 

But Tortolero Arriechi was able to enter the ward with a knife and ended up stabbing social worker Alberto Rangel. Rangel died two days later. 

In the time it took for emergency workers to arrive, Rangel’s colleagues — social workers, nurses — at Ward 86 intervened and began working to keep him alive. 

Ward 86 workers did not return to the clinic for just over two weeks after the Dec. 4 stabbing. According to a source familiar with the ward’s staffing, two employees returned to work on Dec. 22, but could not emotionally handle being on-site, and were sent home. 

On Tuesday, the source said, none returned. Ward 86 is currently being staffed by other healthcare workers filling in for employees who have been out on leave since the incident. 

Matias Campos, a healthcare worker at UCSF and vice president of UPTE, the union that represents professional and technical employees with the university, said that Ward 86 workers are still traumatized. 

“UC demanding that they return to this site without any meaningful conversations with frontline staff about how to do so safely is egregious,” Campos said. “All workers deserve time to heal and to know they’ll come home safely from their shift. We won’t be silent while UCSF continues to put frontline workers’ lives in danger.”

The email from UCSF’s litigation officer referenced some changes already in effect, like limiting access to the building to only one entrance, the installation of a “weapons detection system” and the “wanding” of people entering the building. 

The building has also put into place “new, visible security presence in Buildings 80-90 that includes regular patrols throughout the building.” 

“Many changes have already been made, and more are being assessed and addressed,” the email read. “Labor Relations will work with our labor partners to provide updates as they become available.”

In the meantime, workers were told to save all records or communications relating to the stabbing and turn them over to an IT representative. It is unclear what litigation or specific allegations the university is expecting.