Valley Children’s and Fresno State:
A Victory for the Valley  

In 2022, Valley Children’s Healthcare and Fresno State officially launched a 10-year partnership that will provide funding for scholarships, increased opportunities for students pursuing degrees in health professions in short supply in Central California, and other collaborative opportunities to strengthen the university’s work in children’s. The agreement also offers unique, game-day experiences for patients and families at “Valley Children’s Stadium.”
 

Partnering for Our Future

While the naming of the stadium may be the most visible part of the partnership, other components are much more impactful for our communities:

• Increasing opportunities for nursing education in the Central Valley, to address the growing nursing shortage. We're currently collaborating with Fresno State to increase the number of nursing school graduates by 50% over the next five years.
• Offering a wide range of paid internships in fields from clinical research and physical therapy to business development and information technology services, helping them build the foundation for a career in healthcare. Several interns were subsequently hired for employment after their graduation after the program’s first year.
• Providing special game-day experiences for our patients and families. Valley Children's hosts events for our kids during Fresno State Football home games - treating them to tailgate, box suite and on-field experiences. Here are some numbers through the first two seasons:
  • 12 Kid Captains of the Game, who take part in the mid-field, pre-game coin toss.
  • 600 guests at tailgates. These honor different groups of our kids, including members of our Childhood Cancer Survivorship and Epilepsy Support programs, neonatal and pediatric ICU graduates, children with craniofacial and limb differences, and children with autism spectrum disorder. Because of Valley Children's, some of these families were able to attend a football game for the first time ever.
  • 2,400 tickets handed out to patients, families and our staff to attend the game.

Healthy Kids. Healthy Futures.

Healthy Kids. Healthy Futures. is a partnership of Valley Children's and Fresno State focusing on the health and well-being of kids in the Central Valley to help secure the future of the community for generations to come.
 

This annual campaign features Valley Children’s staff and providers and Fresno State faculty and students – leveraging public service announcements, social media and long-form videos to promote the importance of physical and mental well-being. Visit the Healthy Kids. Healthy Futures. website >>

Valley Children's Facts

• Valley Children’s Hospital is located in Madera, California, just north of Fresno…and is the only children’s hospital between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
• The hospital is part of Valley Children’s Healthcare, which covers all of Central California.
• Valley Children’s mascot is George the Gira­ffe. Did you know… gira­ffes have the largest hearts of all land animals?
• Valley Children’s is ranked one of the best children's hospitals in the country – delivering high-quality, comprehensive care to more than 1.3 million children from Kern County to the Capital, and from the Central Coast to the Sierra.
• Valley Children’s Hospital provides the best care for kids in Central California, from common pediatric illnesses and injuries to complex surgeries and cutting-edge treatments.
• Valley Children’s has more than 670 providers, 3,500 staff­ members and 400 volunteers.