Kaiser Permanente San Bernardino County and Providence St. Mary Medical Center have partnered to strengthen around-the-clock, high-quality inpatient care to local Kaiser members admitted to the medical center in Apple Valley.
The collaboration ensures Kaiser members receive care that meets the same high standards and closely aligned practice protocols found at all its facilities, Providence officials said.
Kaiser Permanente physicians will provide care from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with St. Mary supporting overnight coverage through Sound Physicians, another partner to the hospital.
Seamless transitions each morning ensure continuity throughout hospitalization, Providence stated.
Continuity of care
Town of Apple Valley Mayor Scott Nassif told the Daily Press the partnership will “benefit both entities” and the patients the health care providers serve.
“We are pleased to expand our high-quality health care in the High Desert,” said Ruby Gill, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente San Bernardino County service area. “This organized effort with Providence St. Mary Medical Center ensures continuity of care throughout the hospital stay of our members.”
Over the past three decades, Kaiser Permanente has strengthened its on-site presence at St. Mary Medical Center, including case managers joining in Fall 2025 to enhance coordination, discharge planning and follow-up guidance.
Relationship of trust
Together, both health care organizations ensure that Kaiser Permanente members receive the same exceptional care at St. Mary as they would at any Kaiser Permanente facility across the county, officials stated.
“This collaboration reflects a longstanding relationship of trust and respect between our two organizations, and it ensures that Kaiser Permanente members in the High Desert receive coordinated inpatient care close to home,” said Randy Castillo, Providence St. Mary Medical Center executive. “I’m proud of our caregivers and physicians, and grateful for Kaiser Permanente and Sound Physicians, as we work together each day to uphold consistent standards of care and meet the responsibility we carry to this community.”
Kaiser Permanente San Bernardino County area serves about 690,000 members across the county. More than 13,000 physicians and staff care for patients across two hospitals and 20 medical office buildings, including sites inHesperia and Victorville.
Kaiser also provides wellness services at four Target Clinics, including on Bear Valley Road in Apple Valley.
St. Mary improvements
The recent contract with Kaiser Permanente, is part of a list of upgrades at Providence St. Mary over the recent years, which have also included the medical center this year changing its hospital designation from a Level 4 trauma center to a provisional Level 3 trauma center.
In January 2025, Providence St. Mary unveiled its partnership with REACH, a new sexual assault response team, and the medical center’s Level 4 Trauma program, the Daily Press reported.
At that time, St. Mary Chief Executive Randy Castillo told ribbon-cutting attendees that 2025 was the year St. Mary hoped to transform from a Level 4 Trauma Center to Level 3.
Hospital project halted
In January 2022, the plan for a joint Providence St. Mary and Kaiser Permanente hospital in Victorville came to a grinding halt, the Daily Press reported.
Providence St. Mary officials at that time said conditions set by the California Attorney General’s office altered the proposed partnership structure with Kaiser Permanente, making it “impossible to move forward” with the planned construction of a new joint venture hospital on Amargosa Road in Victorville.
The announcement by Providence in 2022 included both health care providers saying they were “disappointed” by the restrictions and shared their concerns with the AG’s office and remain hopeful they can find a path forward.
Both organizations have determined the changes mandated by the AG office limit the ability of both parties to effectuate their partnership, Providence officials said.
Providence has not yet shared the next step for the aging St. Mary facility that must undergo costly seismic upgrades by 2030.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: St. Mary and Kaiser partner to expand patient services in Apple Valley
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
