UC Davis Children’s Hospital brings advanced neonatal care to Stockton region

UC Davis Children’s Hospital has partnered with St. Joseph’s Medical Center in an effort to bring its nationally ranked neonatal care to premature babies in the Stockton region.

By collaborating with community neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) partners, UC Davis Children’s Hospital provides its world-class maternal child health care to more communities across the region. The partnerships aim to enhance quality of care, keep moms and babies together, and ensure patients receive the right care at the right place and the right time.

“Families shouldn’t have to drive long distances to connect to our expert teams. It’s our mission to help families stay in their communities by bringing our advanced and highly specialized neonatal care to them,” said Satyan Lakshminrusimha, chair of pediatrics and physician-in-chief at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. “The new partnership greatly increases the level of care available to babies in the region and decreases the need for transfers to UC Davis Children’s Hospital.”

As part of the agreement, UC Davis Health will provide:

• education and training to the St. Joseph’s level III NICU team
• resources for its NICU, including sharing best practices and the latest innovations in technology and treatment
• access to UC Davis pediatric subspecialists for telemedicine consults
• quality oversight with multidisciplinary morbidity and mortality meetings to discuss ways to improve all aspects of patient care.

“The partnership with UC Davis Children’s Hospital will allow St. Joseph’s to better serve the San Joaquin County population and increase access to quality care in the local community,” said St. Joseph’s Medical Center President and CEO Donald J. Wiley.

Families shouldn’t have to drive long distances to connect to our expert teams. It’s our mission to help families stay in their communities by bringing our advanced and highly specialized neonatal care to them.”—Satyan Lakshminrusimha

UC Davis Children’s Hospital was ranked 29th in the nation for neonatology by U.S. News & World Report in the 2022-2023 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. UC Davis has a level IV-designated NICU (the highest possible rating) for the Sacramento region, providing expert clinical care for infants throughout Northern California and conducting research on health problems facing infants, including those who are born very prematurely, are extremely ill, or require surgery.

St. Joseph’s Medical Center has a 30-bed Level III NICU that serves over 500 babies each year. As the first and only hospital in San Joaquin County with a 24/7 in-house neonatologist, plus a 24/7 Pediatric Hospitalist onsite, St. Joseph’s Medical Center offers a wide variety of pediatric health care services to serve the families of San Joaquin County.

About UC Davis Children’s Hospital

UC Davis Children's Hospital is the Sacramento region's only nationally ranked, comprehensive hospital providing care for infants, children, adolescents and young adults with primary, subspecialty and critical care. It includes the Central Valley's only pediatric emergency department and level I pediatric trauma center, which offers the highest level of care for its critically ill patients, as well as a level I children’s surgery center. The 129-bed children's hospital includes the state-of-the-art 49-bed neonatal and 24-bed pediatric intensive care and pediatric cardiac intensive care units. For more information, visit children.ucdavis.edu.

About St. Joseph’s Medical Center

Dignity Health St. Joseph's Medical Center is a not-for-profit, fully accredited, regional hospital with 355 beds, a physician staff of over 700, and more than 2,700 employees. Specializing in cardiovascular care, comprehensive cancer services, and women and children's services, St. Joseph's is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. As a Sponsoring Institution for Graduate Medical Education, St. Joseph’s supports rapidly growing educational programs for both resident physicians and medical students. In addition to being nationally recognized as a quality leader, St. Joseph's is consistently chosen as the "most preferred hospital" by local consumers. St. Joseph's is the largest hospital, as well as one of the largest private employers in San Joaquin County. Founded in 1899 by Fr. William O'Connor and administered by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Joseph's continues to lead the region in medical innovation. St. Joseph's Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health/CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit, Catholic health system with care sites across 21 states, dedicated to advancing health for all people. For more information, please visit StJosephsCares.org.