TRI-VALLEY: ValleyCare, Children’s Hospital to Open Pediatric Center

      ValleyCare Health System and Children's Hospital Oakland are teaming up to open a pediatric inpatient unit to serve Tri-Valley area children, the Tri-Valley Business Times reports. "Children in this area will get the best care in the country," said ValleyCare President and CEO Marcy Feit, who added that children "are a big part of this community as it continues to grow, and this is the right thing to do now." Children's Hospital spokesperson Carol Hyman agreed, saying, "This was a natural step for us, we already had a satellite clinic at ValleyCare ... and we've been looking at reaching out to several other communities because our services are needed." The Contra Costa/Tri Valley Business Times reports that the pediatric unit's location will be key because "it's difficult for some children to go out of the valley for treatment because of chronic conditions." Feit said, "It's time to provide these services in this corridor because we're no longer rural, and we have significant population and income. Transportation is a significant issue in the Bay Area, and it no longer is easy for people in the Valley to go to Oakland, San Francisco or Stanford for treatment." The pediatric unit, which will be housed at Pleasanton-based ValleyCare Medical Center, could open by this summer (Shuttleworth, 4/13 issue).