Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and John Muir Health Extend Their Long-Standing Operating Agreement for Another 10 Years

The multispecialty pediatric joint venture will provide high-quality health care to children in the East Bay for many years to come.

For release: March 3, 2022

STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and John Muir Health have extended their health care operating agreement to 2032 to further deepen a partnership that continues to meet the unique needs of pediatric and neonatal patients in the East Bay. This agreement provides John Muir Health pediatric patients with high-level care that is not only local but also seamlessly supported by a top-10-rated children’s hospital in the nation if a higher level of care is required. 

“Ten years ago, we worked closely with our pediatricians and listened to families about the need to expand the availability of children’s services in our community, said Jane Willemsen, executive vice president and president of hospital operations at John Muir Health. “Our successful partnership with Stanford Medicine Children’s Health allows our young patients to receive the very best care, ranging from routine to complex, close to home.”

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and John Muir Health first began the successful partnership in pediatric urology before adding a growing number of surgical and medical services in 2012. The collaboration expanded to include outpatient, inpatient, neonatal, and emergency care; and in 2015 the two health organizations opened Contra Costa County’s first pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), offering critical care for children in local and surrounding communities.

In addition to the PICU and a Level III NICU, the 10-year partnership has grown to include cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, infectious disease, general surgery, nephrology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pulmonology, and rheumatology to help specialize in diagnosing and managing children with routine and life-threatening, critical illnesses.

The renewed collaboration allows families to continue to have access to:

• Pediatric and neonatal critical care transport with highly trained and skilled staff.
• A full set of medical and surgical subspecialists.
• A regional premier spine center with EOS imaging—the only program in the East Bay.
• A pediatric quality program with collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, and Society of Critical Care Medicine.
• Neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care services that have quality certification from California Children’s Services.

“A partnership of this type provides a tremendous benefit for children and families in Contra Costa County and surrounding communities,” said Paul A. King, president and CEO of Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. “Stanford Medicine Children’s Health has long been committed to successful community partnerships with Bay Area health care providers. We have always known that expanding local access to pediatric specialized care is an important way to serve the needs of the children throughout Northern California."

Media contact

Elizabeth Valente
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Media Manager
EValente@StanfordChildrens.org
(650) 269-5401

About John Muir Health

John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda, and southern Solano counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians; 6,200 employees; and medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center and a Behavioral Health Center. John Muir Health also has partnerships with UCSF Health, Tenet Healthcare/San Ramon Regional Medical Center, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, Carbon Health, and Optum. The health system offers a full range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient, and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties: neurosciences, orthopedics, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics, and high-risk obstetrics care.