New medical facility in Fowler for adults and children

Adventist Health and Valley Children's Hospital have teamed up to offer a new facility in Fowler.

Wayne Ferch, the senior vice president of Adventist Health and the president of the Central California Region, said this vision for the facility started a few years ago.

Ferch mentioned Adventist Health's values and Valley Children's Hospital's values are very similar so it made sense to be partners.

"They are both focused on, not just healing people that are sick although that is very very important... but also teaching people how to be well and live fulfilled lives," he said.

Outside there is a park for families to enjoy and if you are a patient indoors there is an atrium.

"The entire building is focused on teaching people on how to live healthier lives so they can be well more of the time. So it's a tremendous new access point and greater access to care for the community of Fowler and the surrounding communities," said Todd Suntrapak who is the CEO of Valley Children's Hospital.

The new facility is 46,000 square feet and cost about $34 million.

It's offering several services for children and adults.

Families can expect to get primary care and even dental care under the same roof.

"This facility is not just open to one type of patient, patient type or insurance. It's for everybody, medical is welcomed, people that don't pay are welcomed, we are non-profit. It will give them access to all kinds of specialties," said Ferch.

Other services for children include general and plastic surgery, imaging, neurology and more. As for the adults, they can get many of the same services as well as vascular surgery and they even have a dedicated office for maternal-fetal medicine.

"There's going to be a lot of people who will benefit from such a wonderful facility," said Brandon Cleveland who has two daughters.

Cleveland is looking forward to this new medical facility opening up.

His youngest, Kendra, was born with a clubfoot.

The family makes frequent trips to Valley Children's in Madera, but now they won't have to drive far.

"This little girl will have to wear her boots and bars, she was born with a club foot, so until she is four she will have to see doctors once a year to make sure her foot is doing what it's supposed to be doing. To be able to make the short drive vs what we had to do on a weekly basis for her, it's going to be nice," he said.

Adventist Health Medical Office- Fowler will start accepting patients on June 3.