Valley Children's Hospital (VCH), formerly Children's Hospital Central California is a stand-alone, pediatric acute care children's teaching hospital located in Madera County, California. The hospital has 358 pediatric beds[1] and is affiliated the Stanford University School of Medicine.[2][3][4] The hospital is a member of Valley Children's Healthcare and is one of only two children's hospitals in the network, servicing approximately 1.3 million children and adolescents in their coverage area.[5] The hospital provides comprehensive pediatric specialties and subspecialties to infants, children, teens, and young adults aged 0–21[6][7] throughout Madera County, Fresno, and California.[8] Valley Children's also sometimes treats adults that require pediatric care.[9][10][11]

Valley Children’s Hospital
Valley Children's Healthcare
A picture of the hospital from afar.
Map
Geography
Location9300 Valley Children's Pl, Madera, California, United States
Coordinates36°53′03″N 119°48′01″W / 36.884049°N 119.800262°W / 36.884049; -119.800262
Organization
FundingNon-profit hospital
TypeTeaching
Affiliated universityStanford University School of Medicine
Services
Emergency departmentLevel 2 Pediatric Trauma Center
Beds358
SpecialityPediatrics
HelipadFAA LID: 9CL6
History
Former name(s)Children's Hospital Central California
Opened1952
Links
Websitewww.valleychildrens.org
ListsHospitals in California

Valley Children's also features the largest ACS verified Level 2 Pediatric Trauma Center in the region, the only Level IV NICU in the Central Valley, and the only provider of pediatric extracorporeal life support (ECLS) for their service area.[12][13] Valley Children's is one of the largest providers of pediatric health services in California and in the country.[14] The hospital is adjacent to the Ronald McDonald House of the Central Valley.[15][16]

History

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The organization was first founded on August 4, 1949, to help raise money to build a children's hospital.[17] The hospital later opened in 1952 at the intersection of Shields and Millbrook in central Fresno. In 1971 the regional NICU originally opened with a capacity eight beds.[18]

The hospital opened their pediatric emergency department in 1975 to provide comprehensive pediatric emergency services to the region.[19] In 1998 they moved to a 50 acre site in Madera County, on the other side of the San Joaquin River from Fresno.[18]

In 2002 Valley Children's Hospital was renamed Children's Hospital Central California and then in 2014, they changed their name back to Valley Children's Hospital.[20]

In 2014 the hospital had 12,695 pediatric inpatient admissions and performed 12,265 pediatric surgeries.[21]

In June 2015, Valley Children's Healthcare announced a decision to separate from UCSF Fresno and instead partner with Stanford University for medical education and research.[22][23]

In 2018, the hospital was officially verified as a Level II pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons, making them the only pediatric trauma center in the region.[24][25][26]

In late 2019 it was announced that Valley Children's Hospital had partnered with Universal Health Services to build a new 128-bed pediatric behavioral health hospital.[27][28]

In early 2020, the hospital followed suit of hospitals all over the United States and implemented strict visitation protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.[29][30]

In 2024, Valley Children's Hospital executives received criticism for high compensation. As reported on the organization's Form 990, CEO Todd Suntrapak received compensation of over $5,000,000 in 2020 and 2021, with five other executives receiving compensation over $1,000,000, well above the average for similarly sized hospital systems.[31][32] In addition, most of its legally mandated direct community investment was passed to its associated medical group, which was criticized by hospital finance experts as "gaming the system" and unusual.[33] Fresno city councilmembers Miguel Arias and Garry Bredefeld asked for the state attorney general to investigate, while a hospital spokesperson stated the large compensation in 2020 and 2021 was as a result of an accounting change.[34]

About

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The hospital provides a full range of pediatric specialties and subspecialties to infants, children, teens, and young adults aged 0–21 throughout the region through its main hospital and surrounding regions with its outpatient clinics.

The hospital features a state and ACS verified level 2 pediatric trauma center for critically injured trauma patients[35] and also features two helipads for critical care and trauma care transport.[36]

The hospital also features a state verified Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (highest possible) for critically ill neonatal patients.[37][38]

Awards

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The hospital has been designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurse Credentialing Center four times; 2004, 2008, 2014, and 2019.[39]

In 2018 the hospital ranked nationally in four specialties: neonatology, orthopedics, diabetes and endocrinology, and gastroenterology.[40][41]

In 2019 the hospital was one of two children's hospitals in California to earn "Top Children's Hospital" status from The Leapfrog Group.[42][43]

The hospital was named as the 10th largest children's hospital in the United States by Becker's Hospital Review.[44]

As of 2021-22, Valley Children's Hospital has placed nationally in 7 ranked pediatric specialties on U.S. News & World Report.

2021-22 U.S. News & World Report Rankings for Valley Children's Hospital[45]
Specialty Rank (In the U.S.) Score (Out of 100)
Neonatology #31 81.5
Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology #48 65.6
Pediatric Gastroenterology & GI Surgery #43 67.8
Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery #37 73.8
Pediatric Orthopedics #24 71.4
Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery #31 74.4
Pediatric Urology #42 53.1

Graduate Medical Education

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Valley Children's Hospital serves as a training site for a variety of pediatric health professionals. Central Valley resident and fellow physicians in the fields of pediatrics, general surgery, anesthesia, emergency medicine, family medicine, critical care, and orthopedics routinely rotate through for their dedicated pediatric experience. While serving as a pediatric training site for resident physicians for over 40 years, Valley Children's hosted their inaugural class of pediatric resident physicians in 2017 and currently hosts 13 residents a year.[46]

Established in 1999, the pediatric pharmacy residency is a one-year post-graduate training program, accepting 4 pharmacy residents a year, with a focus on pediatric pharmacy practice.[47]

Notable staff

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Valley Children's Hospital - About Us". valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18.
  2. ^ "Valley Children's - Stanford Children's Health". www.stanfordchildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-05-05. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  3. ^ "Valley Children's and Stanford to Partner on Pediatric Residency and Fellowship Programs". Valley Children’s. March 6, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Limon, Jolie (26 October 2016). "Where will pediatricians come from? Valley Children's has answer". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016.
  5. ^ "About Us | Valley Children's Healthcare". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  6. ^ "Pediatric Medical Education Program | Valley Children's Healthcare Foundation". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  7. ^ "Emergency Medicine | Valley Children's Healthcare". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  8. ^ "Referral Resource Center | Valley Children's Healthcare". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  9. ^ "Hip Program | Valley Children's Healthcare". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  10. ^ "Pediatric and Adult Heart Care Practices". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  11. ^ "Pathology & Laboratory Medicine". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  12. ^ "Valley Children's NICU l Valley Children's l Madera, CA". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  13. ^ "Trauma Centers". American College of Surgeons. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  14. ^ "25 largest children's hospitals in America | 2015". Beckers Hospital Review. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  15. ^ "How to Stay". Ronald McDonald House - Valley Children's Hospital. Archived from the original on 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  16. ^ "Valley Children's Accommodations". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  17. ^ "Bloomberg: Valley Children's Hospital". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  18. ^ a b "Our History | Valley Children's Healthcare". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  19. ^ "History of Children's Hospital Central Cal". lennon.csufresno.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-08-27. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  20. ^ Aguilera, Diana. "Valley Children's Returning To Old Name, Creating Health Network". www.kvpr.org. Archived from the original on 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  21. ^ "2014 Annual Report" (PDF). Valley Children's Healthcare. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016.
  22. ^ Aguilera, Diana. "New Program Could Mean End For UCSF- Fresno, Valley Children's Partnership". www.kvpr.org. Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  23. ^ "Stanford, Valley Children's Hospital Creating Doctor Residency". Central California Faculty Medical Group (CCFMG) | University Centers of Excellence | UCSF Fresno Faculty Physicians and Specialists. 2015-06-04. Archived from the original on 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  24. ^ "Valley Children's achieves trauma center verification". The Business Journal. 2018-07-03. Archived from the original on 2018-07-04. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  25. ^ Benjamin, Marc. "Valley Children's Hospital to become trauma center for critically injured young patients". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on 2016-11-17.
  26. ^ Clugston, Gina (2016-02-03). "Valley Children's Hospital Now A Pediatric Trauma Center | Sierra News Online". Archived from the original on 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  27. ^ "Valley Children's To Build New Behavioral Health Hospital". Sierra Sun Times. 19 September 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  28. ^ Magallon, Gilbert (2019-09-19). "Valley Children's and Universal Health Services announces new behavioral health hospital for kids in Madera". ABC30 Fresno. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  29. ^ "Valley Children's stepping up safety". The Madera Tribune. 7 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  30. ^ Gonzalez, Liz (2020-03-04). "Valley Children's Hospital limits visitors due to Novel Coronavirus". KMPH. Archived from the original on 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  31. ^ Gligich, Daniel (2024-03-18). "Medi-Cal millionaires: Valley Children's execs boast eye-popping salaries backed by taxes, donors". The San Joaquin Valley Sun. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  32. ^ "Documents show how Valley Children's CEO pay compares to other hospital leaders". ABC30 Fresno. 2024-03-22. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  33. ^ Rashad, Omar Shaikh (2024-05-08). "Is Valley Children's taking more than it's giving back to Fresno?". Fresnoland. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  34. ^ "Fresno City Councilmembers request state AG investigate Valley Children's Hospital". ABC30 Fresno. 2024-03-28. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  35. ^ "California State Designated & ACS Verified Trauma Centers". California Emergency Medical Services Authority. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  36. ^ "AirNav: 9CL6 - Valley Children's Hospital Heliport". www.airnav.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  37. ^ "Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Units". California Department of Children's Health Services. Archived from the original on 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  38. ^ "Valley Children's Healthcare". Bakersfield.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  39. ^ "Magnet Hospital Designations". American Nurse Credentialing Center. Archived from the original on 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  40. ^ Cederlof, Calley (27 June 2018). "Valley Children's named one of the best, expands in Visalia". Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register. Archived from the original on 2019-10-08. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  41. ^ CALIFORNIAN, THE BAKERSFIELD. "Valley Children's Hospital makes best hospital lists". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  42. ^ "Top Hospitals". Leapfrog. 2016-01-21. Archived from the original on 2020-05-31. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  43. ^ "Valley Children's Named a 2019 Top Children's Hospital". www.usacs.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  44. ^ "30 Largest Children's Hospitals in the United States". Beckers Hospital Review. Archived from the original on 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  45. ^ "Best Children's Hospitals: Valley Children's Hospital". U.S. News & World Report. 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  46. ^ "A Message from the Chief of Pediatrics | Valley Children's Pediatric Residency Program". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  47. ^ "Pharmacy Residency | Valley Children's Healthcare". www.valleychildrens.org. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  48. ^ "Selma Calmes". Changing the Face of Medicine. NIH. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2013.