Community Regional Medical Center and Clovis Community Medical Center will gradually phase out their pediatric specialty care services over the next six months, as confirmed by a statement from Community Health System. In response to this change, Valley Children’s Hospital is expanding its clinic space at Community Regional Medical Center and plans to launch pediatric outpatient services in downtown Fresno early next year.
This transition allows Community Health System to concentrate more on adult services. The collaboration between Valley Children’s and Community Health System has been instrumental in providing coordinated care for children in the region, according to hospital officials.
Zara Arboleda, spokesperson for Valley Children’s Healthcare, emphasized the commitment to maintaining access to pediatric specialty care in the Central Valley. “We are working closely with impacted families and their primary care physicians who want to move their child’s care to Valley Children’s as Community Health System transitions away from operating its pediatric outpatient clinics,” she stated.
As part of this transition, Valley Children’s and Community Health System will collaborate with patients and their healthcare providers to facilitate referrals to new facilities for specialty treatment. Valley Children’s Hospital is equipped to handle complex pediatric cases, offering both tertiary and quaternary level care.
The decision by Community Health System to discontinue its pediatric specialty services is attributed to financial challenges, including cuts in federal and state healthcare spending. “We constantly evaluate the mix of individuals we serve, patient care trends, and community health needs to help us determine how we can best invest in high priority healthcare services in our community,” said Danny Davis, division president of hospitals with Community Health System. This strategic decision, though challenging, is aimed at optimizing resources for areas where Community Health excels.
Davis acknowledged the capacity of other providers in the Valley as a factor in this decision. “The health of the children of the Central Valley continues to be important to us, but as we considered the healthcare landscape, we saw capacity for other providers to support this patient population,” he added.
In addition to impacting patients, this transition will provide opportunities for 18 clinicians and 44 team members affected by the program’s closure to transfer to other healthcare providers or to different positions within the Community Health System. According to ABC30, these changes aim to ensure that affected staff can continue their work in the healthcare field while also addressing the needs of the community.
As Valley Children’s Hospital prepares to expand its services, the focus remains on ensuring continuity of care for pediatric patients in the Central Valley. This collaboration marks an important step in maintaining access to essential healthcare services for children in the region.
