YOUR IMPACT
Thank you for your support of
Community Health System’s
programs and patients.
We are so grateful for your support of neurosciences at Community Health System. With the
investments of generous donors like you, we have secured essential equipment to help improve
patient care. You helped Community make huge improvements to the quality of care neurosurgical
patients receive and allowed Community Regional to become a Comprehensive Stroke Center this
year. As a valued donor-investor, we want to share how your funds were utilized.
Sugita Head Frame
The Sugita head frame stabilizes a patient’s head during neurosurgical
procedures. This can include aneurysm repair and brain tumor removal. It
allows surgeons to position the head precisely throughout the surgery. This
piece of equipment means the providers can keep their hands free to assist
with the procedure. Having an additional Sugita frame allows surgeons to
treat more patients.
Sonopet Ultrasonic Aspirator System
The Sonopet aspirator allows neurosurgeons to cut through bone and
soft tissue without harming the surrounding areas. Because the device
is so precise, it removes only the targeted areas. This allows patients
to have a simpler recovery and experience fewer complications.
The Future Bob Smittcamp Family Neurosciences Institute
Community already cares for the vast majority of patients with
neurological issues, but we know that patients need access to
more specialty care. No one should have to leave the area for
care.
That’s why we’re creating the Bob Smittcamp Family
Neurosciences Institute: to give patients all the care they
deserve, here at home, without leaving the area.
Gifts to the campaign go toward the $30M goal to complete
this project.
Rendering of the future institute
NEUROSCIENCES
As Community Health System continues to grow to meet the needs of patients, one of the
biggest needs for our hospitals is the development of the neuroscience program. We are
so grateful for your support. As a valued donor-investor, we want to share how your funds
were utilized.
Leksell Vantage Stereotactic System
The Leksell system allows neurosurgeons to perform stereotactic
neurosurgery, a minimally invasive method to localize and treat specific
targets in the brain with precision. The system is often used for biopsies
and the positioning/implanting of electrodes (for procedures like deep
brain stimulation to treat patients with tremors).
NeuroBlate Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy
NeuroBlate laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally
invasive neurosurgical procedure that uses the heat of a laser to
destroy lesions and tumors in the brain. NeuroBlate provides precise
targeting and significantly minimizes damage to the surrounding
structures and tissue in the brain. The procedure only needs a small
hole in the skull (about the diameter of a pencil) and has less risks
than an open procedure.
Brainlab Software
Brainlab software helps Community neurosurgeons perform
intricate surgeries. The state-of-the-art visual imaging
software enhances guidance and control during functional
neurosurgical procedures. It allows surgeons to plan their
approach for delicate procedures using advanced 3D
visualizations of the patient’s brain and body.
AREA OF GREATEST NEED
Community Regional Medical Center is home to the Table Mountain Rancheria Trauma
Center, the only Level I Trauma Center between Los Angeles and Sacramento. While
emergency departments can treat a variety of non-life threatening conditions, trauma
centers offer a higher level of care and treat the most critically ill and injured patients.
Below are some of the items donors helped fund.
Car Seats for Patients
When a baby or child is discharged, the family is required to have an
appropriate car seat. In cases when they are not able to afford the
correct kind of car seat, the trauma department’s injury prevention
team will work to make sure the family gets the resources they need.
This can be a standard car seat or a specialty one to accommodate
casts or other injuries.
Stop the Bleed Training and Equipment
Stop the Bleed is a program that teaches ordinary citizens
how to stop life-threating bleeding using tourniquets and
various first aid techniques. Community routinely puts on
free events for the public to attend and learn. The training
equipment wears down over time, but is essential for
effective training.
In-Room Recording for Trauma Case Studies
A part of the ongoing training for the trauma team is
reviewing cases after the fact. Now three trauma bays have
video recording capabilities and touchpads so that clinicians
can audit, review and learn from various patient encounters.
The content is saved in a network folder and used to improve
processes and foster interdisciplinary discussion at relevant
meetings.
EMERGENCY/TRAUMA
Your gifts have provided important support to the comprehensive Leon S. Peters Burn Center
at Community Regional. As the only burn facility between Los Angeles and the Bay Area,
Community sees hundreds of patients every year, many of them children.
With your investments, you have provided vital equipment for some of the most severely
injured patients in our Valley — and made a huge impact. Below are some of the items
acquired through the generosity of donors like you.
Rehabilitation Space
Burn patients have to undergo extensive physical therapy to regain
mobility and skin flexibility. Many burn patients feel anxiety about
being in public settings because of their scars. Community is in
the process of building out a dedicated burn rehab space and
securing equipment. There is a deep sense of community between
burn survivors, and this space will allow patients to receive needed
therapies in a supportive environment.
Child Life Supplies
Child Life Specialists help pediatric patients understand and cope with
difficult health situations. The specialists use play as a way to help
children understand upcoming treatments and procedures. Educational
toys and distraction tools for are incredibly helpful for pediatric burn
patients.
Burn Care Products
While healing, burn patients have to coat their wounds with special
products (medicated lotions, special sunscreens) to protect their skin
and help with recovery. These items may seem simple, but their impact
on patients is substantial. These products have to be applied often and in
large quantities, which can be too expensive for underserved patients.
BURN CARE
We are so grateful for your support of pediatrics at Community Health System.
With the investments of generous donors like you, we have secured essential
equipment to help improve patient care. As a valued donor-investor, we want to
share how your funds were utilized.
Blood Pressure Monitors
The OnTrak ambulatory blood pressure monitor is designed for
children. It has a unique activity sensor that allows the machine to
correlate patient movement activity with blood pressure changes.
It also comes with advanced features and a wide range of solutions
for pediatric blood pressure monitoring.
Comfort Animals
Comfort animals are given to young children who have a terminally
ill family member. A loved one can record a special message, saying,
song, or their heartbeat for a child to have after passed away. It’s an
invaluable keepsake for children experiencing grief.
Pediatric ENT Scopes
These scopes are new to our facilities and help ear, nose
and throat (ENT) and oral/maxillofacial (OMF) surgeons
treat a baby’s ears, nose, throat, face and mouth. It is
vital to the baby’s recovery that surgeons have the best
possible picture quality and information to help them with
procedures.
PEDIATRICS
Through philanthropy, you have provided important support to our neonatal intensive
care units (NICU) at Community Regional and Clovis Community. Premature infants are
very susceptible to additional medical issues. They’re incredibly delicate: changes in
temperature, movement and even touch can negatively affect their conditions.
You have provided vital equipment for some of the smallest patients in our Valley
— and made a huge impact. Below are some of the items acquired through the
generosity of donors like you.
Neonatal ENT Scopes
These scopes are new to our facilities and help ear, nose
and throat (ENT) and oral/maxillofacial (OMF) surgeons
treat a baby’s ears, nose, throat, face and mouth. It is vital
to the baby’s recovery that surgeons have the best possible
picture quality and information to help guide them through
procedures.
UltraBlender
More micro-preemie babies are treated at a Community
hospital than anywhere else in California. There are times
when care teams have to expand to accommodate all the
babies and families that need care. The UltraBlender Low Flow
allows babies who need oxygen to be safely cared for in extra
nursey beds, adjacent to the NICU. Donor support bought six
units and helped expand access to life-saving care.
NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
Thank you for your continued philanthropy in support of cancer care at Community Health
System. On average, the comprehensive Community Cancer Institute provides treatment and
services for more than 4,000 patients per month. That number is only expected to rise. With
gifts like yours, Community purchased essential equipment to improve care for cancer patients
here in the Valley. Below are some of the items that you helped purchase.
Blue Light Cystoscopy
Blue light cystoscopy is the new standard of care for bladder
cancer. Oncologists performing a cystoscopy use a thin camera
called a cystoscope to look inside the bladder. With the previous
technology, it was difficult to identify bladder tumors. The blue
light technology highlights cancerous tumors in a bright pink
color, making it easier for clinicians to detect and remove lesions
completely.
Olympus Rhino-Laryngo Videoscope
This advanced technology allows oncologists to conduct high-
resolution nasopharyngoscopy examinations. These exams insert a
thin, flexible tube called a scope through the nostril into the nose
and throat to capture stills and video of the patient. The equipment’s
smaller design and improved camera system mean patients have a
more comfortable experience while clinicians get the high-quality
pictures they need.
PENTAX Flexible Endoscopic System
Cancer and cancer treatments can sometimes impact a person’s ability
to swallow. The PENTAX system allows speech language pathologists
to examine and identify the most appropriate care plan for each
patient. Pathologists pass the thin, flexible scope through the nose and
view the structures of the throat as the person swallows. The system
is fully mobile and expands access to patients who cannot easily be
transported.
CANCER CARE
We are so grateful for your support of Terry’s House. Your investments have helped more
than 9,000 families during difficult times.
The Families
“My mom and I were on vacation in Yosemite when she suffered a brain hemorrhage and
was rushed to the hospital in Fresno. I am so grateful to have a comfortable place to stay
close to my mom. Words cannot emphasize the sense of peace and relief this has given
me during such a scary time.”
-Corrine
“You were a Godsend to my siblings and I as we gathered to support my 90-year-old
mother in the hospital. We were grateful to have a place to relax, to eat, to sleep and be
close to our mother.”
- Lisa
“Your sanctuary allowed me to rebuild my energy while having the comfort of knowing I’m
only a block away from my husband. It also allowed me to spend more time with him, to
care for him and learn the techniques used in rehab and nursing. That knowledge will be
so important for his health and safety when he returns home.”
-Nancy
386 families
stayed in 2023
8 days
average stay
About 50%
of families live
100+ miles away
TERRY’S HOUSE
Community Health System, Office of Philanthropy
1530 E. Shaw Avenue, Suite 106
Fresno, CA 93710
(559) 724-4343
Giving@CommunityMedical.org