UCSF Medical Center and Community Medical Centers (CMC) have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to expand women’s and children’s services to the Central Valley, which has an undersupply of specialists for a growing population. The collaboration also would broaden medical education services in the area.

CMC, a Fresno-based regional health system, owns and operates Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and other licensed general acute care hospitals and outpatient centers in Fresno and Clovis that serve Fresno County and the surrounding counties.

“The delivery of health care is changing. We’re going to rely on medical information technology and strong alliances with private and academic physicians to more efficiently manage the health of entire families. This project with UCSF will be a key part of that,” said Craig Wagoner, CEO at Community Regional Medical Center.

The shared vision of CMC and UCSF includes development of a clinically integrated health system to facilitate better sharing of information in order to manage patient health; improved access to high-quality pediatric services in Fresno and surrounding communities; higher acuity pediatric services at CRMC to reduce the need for patients’ families to travel outside of Fresno; and increased integration of the academic and training missions of UCSF and CRMC.

An immediate goal for 2015 is to increase the availability of specialists at CRMC by this summer.

UCSF School of Medicine, which consistently is ranked among the nation’s top medical schools, has for decades operated a graduate medical education program in collaboration with Community, the San Joaquin Valley’s largest hospital organization.

About 300 UCSF medical residents and fellows currently practice on the Community Regional Medical Center campus, which is the Valley’s Level 1 trauma center. Pediatrics is one of 22 specialties currently offered in the Fresno-based graduate medical education program.

The collaboration among UCSF Fresno, CRMC and Valley Children’s Healthcare has afforded UCSF residents the ability to receive high quality residency training across the entire spectrum of pediatric needs within a diverse set of clinical settings. UCSF remains firmly committed to maintaining and strengthening this long-time, top-ranked pediatric residency program for the benefit of patients, the community and the entire San Joaquin Valley.

“This is the next logical step in our relationship with Community,” said Michael Peterson, MD, interim associate dean for UCSF Fresno. “The medical school is committed to serving the Valley, and our leadership team in San Francisco is excited about the opportunity to partner with the Community Regional Medical Center and build a leading-edge women’s and children’s program.”

“We have a great relationship with Fresno and the Central Valley, and this partnership with Community Medical Centers will strengthen that relationship,” said Stephen Wilson, MD, PhD, associate chief medical officer for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. “This is an opportunity to better integrate our women’s and children’s services in the region and support UCSF’s mission to provide care to patients in areas that are underserved.”

UCSF has been providing services in Fresno for decades. Established in 1975 and now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program plays a substantial role in providing health care services to residents of California's San Joaquin Valley and training medical professionals in the region. A clinical branch of UCSF, the Fresno medical education program has trained approximately one-third of Central San Joaquin Valley physicians.

Faculty and medical residents at UCSF Fresno engage in a broad spectrum of research addressing health issues pertinent to the Valley. Faculty and residents also care for the overwhelming majority of the region’s underserved populations at health care facilities like CRMC.

In addition, UCSF Fresno provides academic preparation programs for middle- and high school students interested in the health professions through the Junior Doctors Academy and the Doctors Academy. UCSF Fresno academically prepares students at Fresno State to become competitive applicants to health professional schools and ultimately aims to prepare them for careers in health and medicine. UCSF Fresno also is a key partner in the UC Merced San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education.

The collaboration is anticipated to be finalized in the fall of 2015.

UCSF is the nation's leading university exclusively focused on health. Now celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding as a medical college, UCSF is dedicated to transforming health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with world-renowned programs in the biological sciences, a preeminent biomedical research enterprise and top-tier hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

Community Medical Centers is a locally owned, not-for-profit, public-benefit organization. Based in Fresno, Calif., Community is the region’s largest healthcare provider and private employer. It operates three hospitals – Community Regional Medical Center, Clovis Community Medical Center and Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital – as well as several long-term care, outpatient and other healthcare facilities and a physician residency program with UCSF.