Modesto hospital teams up with Valley Children’s to care for babies with serious needs
An agreement between Doctors Medical Center of Modesto and Valley Children’s Healthcare of Madera will add physicians and specialists to a regional health network to care for premature infants and other babies with critical needs.
The Modesto hospital and Valley Children’s said in a joint announcement the collaboration will serve to elevate care in the Level III neonatal intensive care unit at Doctors.
“We are proud to have our highly skilled NICU team members working alongside Valley Children’s neonatologists and pediatric specialists,” Jay Krishnaswamy, chief executive officer of Doctors, said in a news release. “This collaboration helps expand the high-quality compassionate care we provide for our smallest, most vulnerable patients.”
The CEO said the hospital strives to ensure access to care is close to home for patients and families in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
Doctors of Modesto and two other hospitals owned by Tenet Healthcare — Emanuel Medical Center of Turlock and Doctors of Manteca — unified their services earlier this year under the Central Valley Doctors Health System brand. The new agreement with Valley Children’s Healthcare will add neonatal and pediatric specialists to the Central Valley Doctors Health System network.
Doctors Medical Center for years has operated the Level III neonatal intensive care unit, caring for premature or critically ill infants from Stanislaus and nearby counties. Valley Children’s has a hospital for kids near Madera, along with pediatric clinics and specialty care centers in the San Joaquin Valley. It opened the Pelandale Specialty Care Center in north Modesto in 2019.
Krista Deans, a spokeswoman for Doctors, said via email that the new collaboration will expand the reach of the Modesto hospital’s care for infants with serious medical needs. The hospital aims to keep babies with high-risk medical needs close to home for care but also wants to “continue to expand our presence broadly to make sure we provide excellent care for babies in the surrounding areas,” her email said.
The news release said the Modesto center and Valley Children’s Healthcare will work together for optimal care of infants with high-risk, complex and rare conditions.
Valley Children’s has provided physician support for the Level II NICU at Emanuel in Turlock. Valley Children’s Healthcare provides Level IV neonatal intensive care at its hospital campus near Madera. Level IV is the highest level of care for infants.
“Our work together will ensure that kids from one end of the Valley to the other will have improved and streamlined access to the exceptional neonatal care provided by our organizations,” said Todd Suntrapak, president and CEO of Valley Children’s Healthcare.
Counties in the San Joaquin Valley have higher rates of premature births than other areas of California, according to annual March of Dimes reports.
In San Joaquin County, 9.4% of births were premature in the 2022 report, raising the risk of learning disabilities, heart or lung problems, infections, hearing and vision problems. California’s statewide rate was 9.1%.
Fresno and Tulare had premature birth rates of 10.6%, while Stanislaus at 8.7% was below the statewide percentage.
