[July 30, 2014]

Pediatric Group of Monterey Joins Stanford Children's Health Network of Care

Stanford Children's Health, the largest Bay Area health-care enterprise with an exclusive focus on children and expectant women, has announced that the Pediatric Group of Monterey has joined its fast-growing network of care.

The largest San Francisco Bay Area health care enterprise with an exclusive focus on children and expectant women, Stanford Children's Health, has announced that as of July 28, 2014, the Pediatric Group of Monterey has joined its fast-growing network of care. (Photo: Business Wire)

This addition, effective July 28, continues the ongoing expansion of local access to all children and expectant mothers seeking the Stanford Children's Health brand of care. The move is especially important for those needing care from top pediatric specialists, who are in short supply nationwide.

"Monterey is too small of a town to justify having our own pediatric specialists here," said Todd Dwelle, MD, one of seven pediatricians at the practice. "With very limited specialty support, we often ended up filling this role ourselves, or patients were referred 90 miles away to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford."

The relationship began five years ago when Dwelle began working with William Kennedy, MD, a pediatric urologist at Stanford Children's Health and associate professor of urology at the Stanford School of Medicine. Kennedy made monthly visits to the Pediatric Group of Monterey to see patients who needed urology care, including pre-op and post-op evaluations. This success opened the door for other specialty outreach clinics, and the team now hosts cardiology, nephrology and neurology services from Stanford Children's Health regularly.

"Working with Dr. Kennedy demonstrated that being a part of Stanford Children's Health could really fill a need for specialty care in the community," said Dwelle, who also noted the benefit of having access to the groundbreaking care and research protocols of Stanford Medicine.

Stanford Children's Health, with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at its core, provides access to more than 1,000 leading pediatricians, obstetricians and pediatric/obstetric sub-specialists across Northern California. Additionally, the network includes partnerships, collaborations and outreach at more than 100 locations in eight states, making it the largest and most succesful network of its type in the western region. It's all a part of an important new model and system for health-care delivery in the Bay Area and the United States.

"Today's busy families, economic concerns and the Affordable Care Act are all drivers in changing the way Americans receive care," said gastroenterologist Kenneth Cox, MD, who is also a professor of pediatrics at the Stanford School of Medicine. "Quality care that is delivered near where families live can reduce costs, increase convenience and create a better patient experience."

That experience can even have an effect on outcomes. Research from Cox's (News - Alert) team shows that liver transplant outcomes are improved when quality care - like the care provided by Stanford Children's Health physicians in Monterey - is more accessible and closer to where patients live.

Expanding much-needed access to one of the most sought-after brands in America is central to the Stanford Children's Health mission. Soon, a Stanford Children's Health physician, either well care or specialty care, will be available within 10 miles of every Bay Area family home.

Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, said he was happy that Monterey-area residents will now have expanded access to Stanford Medicine's highly trained experts. "The nationwide shortage of pediatric specialists means that many sick children may not live close to essential services. With this announcement, we're ensuring that more children throughout Northern California can get the care and compassion they need close to their own homes," he said.

"The Pediatric Group of Monterey is a wonderful addition to our network," said Christopher G. Dawes, president and chief executive officer of Stanford Children's Health and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. "Their physicians and staff have provided extraordinary care to patients throughout the Monterey Peninsula for more than 50 years, and they represent the top quality Stanford Children's Health is known for."

About Stanford Children's Health and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford

Stanford Children's Health, with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford at its core, is an internationally recognized leader in world-class, nurturing care and extraordinary outcomes in every pediatric and obstetric specialty from the routine to rare, for every child and pregnant woman. Together with our Stanford Medicine physicians, nurses, and staff, we deliver this innovative care and research through partnerships, collaborations, outreach, specialty clinics and primary care practices at more than 100 locations in the U.S. western region. As a non-profit, we are committed to supporting our community - from caring for uninsured or underinsured kids, homeless teens and pregnant moms, to helping re-establish school nurse positions in local schools. Learn more about our full range of preeminent programs and network of care at stanfordchildrens.org, and on our Healthier, Happy Lives blog. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford is the heart of Stanford Children's Health, and is one of the nation's top hospitals for the care of children and expectant mothers. For a decade, we have received the highest specialty rankings of any Northern California children's hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2014-15 Best Children's Hospitals survey, and are the only hospital in Northern California to receive the national 2013 Leapfrog Group Top Children's Hospital award for quality and patient care safety. Discover more at stanfordchildrens.org.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140730006243/en/

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