Университет Калифорнии в Сан-Диего и Palomar объединились в новую систему здравоохранения

Innovation is often measured by scientific breakthroughs, transformative technologies or pioneering discoveries. At the University of California San Diego, those achievements define who we are. Every day, our researchers, physicians, students and innovators push the boundaries of what is possible — from advancing artificial intelligence and engineering to unlocking new treatments that improve and save lives. But innovation is not only about discovery. Sometimes, innovation is reimagining existing institutions and systems. It means asking whether long-standing challenges require entirely new partners — especially in health care delivery. Across California, hospitals and clinics face extraordinary circumstances. Communities are continuously growing. Patients are living longer with complex medical needs. Demand for specialty care is rising, while financial pressures threaten the stability of hospitals statewide. Meeting these realities requires bold thinking. One bold response is Palomar UC San Diego Health. Formed on July 1, this new public health system represents more than a simple affiliation between two respected organizations. It is a fundamentally different way of thinking about how academic medicine and community health care can work together. Created through a Joint Powers Authority, Palomar UC San Diego Health is dedicated to serving North San Diego County and nearby regions. It combines the trusted care of a community system, Palomar Health, with one of the nation’s leading academic health systems, UC San Diego Health. Together, they achieve what neither organization could accomplish independently. The future of health care requires new forms of collaboration that preserve community-based care while expanding access to academic medicine. By bringing together complementary strengths, we can recruit exceptional physicians, expand access to specialized services, accelerate clinical innovation and improve the patient experience closer to where people live. This partnership marks a historic milestone for the University of California — the first Joint Powers Authority established to operate a new health system and the first collaboration of its kind UC-wide. Nearly six decades ago, UC San Diego accepted the challenge of helping build an academic medical center through its partnership with the County of San Diego at the former county hospital in Hillcrest. What began as a public hospital has evolved into one of the nation’s leading academic health systems — advancing groundbreaking research, educating generations of physicians and caregivers, and providing world-class care to patients. Today, we have the opportunity to write the next chapter. As Palomar UC San Diego Health grows, patients throughout North San Diego County and surrounding areas will gain greater access to advanced specialty services within cancer, cardiovascular, neurological and behavioral health care — bringing nationally recognized expertise, multidisciplinary teams and the latest evidence-based treatments closer to where patients live and work. Families in North County and beyond should not have to choose between outstanding care close to home and the expertise of an internationally recognized academic medical center. They deserve both. At UC San Diego, we often speak about destination health care — creating a place where patients seek care because they know they will receive exceptional treatment informed by the latest research, technology and clinical expertise. But destination health care is not defined solely by geography. It is defined by excellence. And ultimately, it is defined by our ability to bring that excellence to more people, in more communities, without asking them to travel farther from home. Palomar UC San Diego Health reflects a hallmark of the San Diego region. Many of our region’s greatest accomplishments have emerged because people from different disciplines, organizations and perspectives have unified to solve problems no single institution could solve alone. This is also true for our state. California’s health care challenges cannot be solved through competition. They require innovative governance, strategic investment and partnerships that strengthen communities while preserving access to care for future generations. Palomar UC San Diego Health is a pivotal step toward that future. Khosla, Ph.D., is chancellor of the University of California San Diego. Maysent is CEO of UC San Diego Health.