Loma Linda University Health, Southern Mono Healthcare District partner to enhance access: 6 things to know

Loma Linda (Calif.) University Health and the Southern Mono Healthcare District in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., have entered into an affiliation agreement.

Here are six things to know about the agreement.

1. It took effect Nov. 1.

2. Under the agreement, Loma Linda University Health will provide resources to the district-run Mammoth Hospital in Mammoth Lakes.

3. As part of the agreement, on-site specialty care in selected service areas will also be developed, where feasible, at Mammoth Hospital's Rural Health Clinic.

4. Additionally, the affiliation provides for a collaborative new sports medicine fellowship program and training programs, such as simulation exercises, short-term clinical intensives and other methods that officials say will benefit clinical staff at Loma Linda University Health and Mammoth Hospital.

5. The agreement includes development of a telemedicine plan and a potential rural training program for Loma Linda University medical students and residents at Mammoth Hospital.

6. Officials said the overall goal of the partnership is to enhance access to high-quality care in the Southern Mono Healthcare District. "This affiliation is another step in fulfilling our strategic plan of establishing a clinical integration network that extends our ability to provide healthcare to local communities, while also increasing access to tertiary, quaternary and advanced specialty care for the vast four-county area that falls within our purview," Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, president of Loma Linda University Health, said in a news release. "We intend to integrate our commitment 'to make man whole' with mission and dedication to the community."