Copyright Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Three Sonoma County organizations have finalized a joint agreement to open a new outpatient pediatric clinic for low-income patients in the region. In a shared announcement, Santa Rosa Community Health, Providence and Partnership HealthPlan of California said the new pediatric center will open early next month. SRCH will operate the new facility that will provide primary care, same-day treatment for injuries and illness, behavioral health services, immunizations, and health screenings for patients from birth to age 19, according to the announcement. Providence and Partnership are providing grants — $150,000 and $169,000, respectively — to help support operational costs and purchase medical equipment, the organizations stated in the Oct. 22 press release. “(Partnerships) like this between health centers, hospitals and insurers are critical to ensure all people have timely access to high-quality preventative care, especially in today’s environment when access to care for people with low incomes and others is under threat,” said Gaby Bernal Leroi, CEO of Santa Rosa Community Health. SRCH provides primary medical, dental and behavioral health services to more than 42,000 low-income people every year. The new pediatric clinic will be located at 925 Corporate Center Parkway in Santa Rosa. Providence operated an urgent care center in that space until closing it in February, according to the release and earlier reporting from the Press Democrat. The upcoming pediatric clinic will become SRCH’s second. The health system has an existing pediatric clinic at 711 Stony Point Road. SRCH currently operates a total of eight outpatient medical clinics for low-income people of all ages. Garry Olney, regional chief executive for Providence in Northern California, said in the announcement that Providence has partnered with SRCH for more than 20 years. “Enhancing local access to outpatient pediatric care is an especially important topic to Providence and Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, and aligns with our mission,” Olney stated. Providence’s announcement of its investment in SRCH’s new pediatric outpatient clinic comes after its confirmation earlier this month that it will close its pediatric inpatient wing at Memorial, the Press Democrat reported. Providence cited low patient volume and financial uncertainty, and said the best use of its “limited resources” is to serve the community.
