The largest hospital operator in the San Joaquin Valley plans to close its pediatric specialty clinics over the coming six months, potentially creating a scramble for parents whose children need care for a wide array of health conditions.
Community Health System, which operates Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno and Clovis Community Medical Center in Clovis, notified families earlier this month that “we are beginning a six-month process to transition the care of our pediatric specialty clinic patients” at both the Fresno and Clovis hospitals.”
The move “will enable Community to primarily focus on adult services,” said Danny Davis, division president of hospitals for the parent Community Health System, in a written statement to CVJC.
Valley Children’s Hospital in neighboring Madera County is likely to pick up at least some of the children currently treated at Community, hospital officials said.
“Valley Children’s Healthcare has leased the clinic space at Community Regional to provide pediatric outpatient services on this campus beginning early next year,” Davis said. “Fortunately, our region has Valley Children’s for quality pediatric care and as we’ve done for decades, we will work closely with them to coordinate all levels of care for the kids in our region.”
Recent Republican-backed cuts to the federal Medicaid program for low-income households, as well as California tightening its budget for Medi-Cal, as Medicaid is known in the state, are at least part of the driver for Community’s action.
“Continuing to meet the healthcare needs of our entire community while experiencing financial challenges related to federal and state healthcare cuts is challenging and requires us to make difficult decisions,” Davis added
“As we considered the healthcare landscape, we saw capacity for other providers to support this (pediatric) patient population,” he said. “Making this decision, although difficult, allows us to better focus our resources in the areas of healthcare that Community is uniquely well suited to provide.”
The pediatric specialties being discontinued by Community Medical are:
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology and hepatology
- Neurology
- Pulmonology
Community’s clinic closures don’t affect labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care, or burn or emergency care for children.
At least some families are likely to start receiving care at Valley Children’s Hospital, on the north side of the San Joaquin River and the Fresno-Madera County line and about a 10-mile drive from either Community Regional or Clovis Community. Zara Arboleda, a spokesperson for Valley Children’s, said that facility anticipates picking up some of the slack over time.
“Valley Children’s Healthcare is committed to ensuring continued access to pediatric specialty care in the Central Valley,” Arboleda said in a statement provided to CVJC. “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.”
There is already some degree of collaboration between Community and Valley Children’s. For several years, surgeons from Valley Children’s have been providing coverage for pediatric general surgery, as well as helping to study pediatric imaging.
Valley Children’s has signed a lease for space on the Community Regional Medical Center campus starting in 2026, but specific plans for services there remain undetermined.
The clinics being closed by Community in total employ about 18 physicians and 44 hospital staff members. Doctors who specialize in those fields will now be looking for somewhere else to provide care to their patients.
“Over the next several months, physicians practicing in our clinics will be making decisions about where they choose to practice in the future,” Davis said. “Opportunities exist for Community Health Partners team members in the pediatric specialty clinics to transition to Valley Children’s clinics or other positions within Community Health System.”
“We understand transitions like this are difficult, however, your child’s continued care is our top priority,” Community said in its letter to families. “We will help you navigate this change with individualized support to maintain care – whether with your existing provider at a new location or with a new provider.”
“Ultimately, we want to ensure your child continues to have access to specialized pediatric expertise with connections to a broad range of specialists,” the letter added.
For families, however, changing a care provider or where they seek treatment could be a cumbersome process, depending on insurance coverage and other factors.
Davis said that if a parent wants to change providers and wants a referral to a new specialist, they need to reach out to their pediatrician, primary care doctor or their health insurance plan.
“Patients and families who wish to seek care at Valley Children’s can get a referral from their primary care physician,” Davis added, “and then call (5590 353-6809 to arrange their child’s continued care, schedule a tour of their facilities, or facilitate scheduling appointments.”
Tim Sheehan is the Health Reporting Fellow and a senior reporter with the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. The fellowship is supported by a grant from the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust. Contact Sheehan at tim@cvlocaljournalism.org.