SUBJECT:  UCSD/CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AFFILIATION

I am pleased to announce that we have successfully completed discussions with Children's Hospital and Health Center and Children's Specialists of San Diego to unify our children's health services. We will formalize our affiliation agreements in a signing ceremony on Thursday, June 21, and begin the transition of specialty care and inpatient services to Children's Hospital on August 1. Dr. Kenneth Lee Jones, Interim Chair of Pediatrics at UCSD, will assume the role of Physician-in-Chief for the consolidated program.

Our patients will not have to select a new primary care or specialty physician or a different health plan as a result of this affiliation.

UCSD pediatric primary care and adolescent services will continue to be provided at the Ambulatory Care Center in Hillcrest, and for now, at the Perlman Ambulatory Care Center in La Jolla. We will also provide pediatric care through our Regional Burn Center, General Clinical Research Center, kidney dialysis unit, and in our emergency rooms. The newborn nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will remain in Hillcrest.

Unifying our pediatric programs has been a longtime goal of UCSD, Children's Hospital and the community. Over the years, our institutions have developed a variety of collaborative patient care, teaching, research and community service programs, and these joint programs are among our most successful. Many of our pediatric physicians already work at both institutions, and our pediatrics residents spend significant time at Children's Hospital.

By joining forces to formally create a university-affiliated children's health system, we have an opportunity to build even further on our established excellence. We believe this alliance will strengthen and enhance our programs, and allow our organizations to better serve the children of San Diego. We look forward to joining with our colleagues at Children's in providing superb care, leading edge research and clinical trials, and programs emphasizing disease prevention and wellness.

                                                Edward W. Holmes, M.D.
                                                Vice Chancellor-Health Sciences
                                                Dean, School of Medicine