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The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved a three-year extension of its management services agreement with Dignity Health to manage San Joaquin General Hospital on May 13.
The deal, which runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2028, is worth $5.7 million. The county first entered into an agreement with Dignity Health, now known as CommonSpirit Health, on May 3, 2022. County officials said the board of supervisors made a special finding that San Joaquin General Hospital could operate more efficiently with a management services agreement.
The deal was originally for an 18-month period with a 10-year option. The board of supervisors extended the agreement for an additional 18 months in October 2023. The current agreement will expire on June 30, 2025.
“Our partnership with CommonSpirit helps us deliver high-quality health care to San Joaquin County residents while protecting taxpayers,” said Paul Canepa, chair of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. “Since the agreement began, the hospital has made great progress in improving patient care and its finances. We’re excited to keep working together to build a strong, unified health care system that provides excellent care to everyone — no matter their ability to pay.”
According to county officials, Dignity Health has implemented several new policies and procedures since the management services agreement began in 2022, including lowering the rate of hospital-acquired infections at San Joaquin General Hospital, raising the hospital’s Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade rating from an F to a C, and reducing incomplete patient records from more than 15,000 to fewer than 200.
“Since the implementation of the management services agreement, CommonSpirit Health and St. Joseph’s Medical Center have had a profound impact on both financial and quality measures at San Joaquin General Hospital,” said BJ Predum, market president of Dignity Health Central Valley. “By improving and standardizing processes, I am proud of all that we have accomplished together to enhance the health and well-being of the San Joaquin County community.”
San Joaquin General Hospital
Established in 1857, San Joaquin General Hospital and its related clinics form the basis of the county’s safety-net health care system, with 80% of its patients using Medicare or Medi-Cal. The hospital serves more than 1.34 million patients annually.
With a 196-bed hospital, a level II trauma center, and multiple facilities dedicated to comprehensive outpatient services, the hospital provides a full range of inpatient services, including general medical/surgical care, high-risk obstetrics, neonatal intensive care, pediatrics and intensive care.
San Joaquin General Hospital also provides a graduate medical education program that encourages graduates to stay and serve county residents. The postgraduate residency program has trained more than 3,000 physicians since 1932, according to hospital officials.
Founded in 1986 and headquartered in San Francisco, Dignity Health is a nonprofit health care organization that operates more than 40 hospitals and 400 care centers, including urgent care and occupational care, imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics in Arizona, California and Nevada. Dignity Health also manages St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at
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