Community Medical Centers

A Message from the CEO

When I became president and CEO of Community Health System, I outlined a vision for our journey ahead that I shared with every team member of our organization. This vision expanded upon Community's ongoing commitment to being the trusted health leader in the Central San Joaquin Valley: opening new doors to educate, innovate, and enhance our care and services across the region.

What I wrote describes the future we at Community are working toward — not only for our health system but for our patients, our teams and our entire community. It transforms our commitment into a comprehensive, actionable path toward becoming the model for excellence in healthcare, not just locally, but nationally.

This is the vision I shared with the team, and I share it here with the hope we all continue to work together to make the Valley a healthier, happier place to live.

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Craig A. Wagoner

President & CEO, Community Health System

The Cause: A Vision for Our Journey Ahead

Imagine a time when people turn to our health system not because they are sick, but to stay well — healthy and live fully. Our commitment to preventative care, driven by solid data, cutting-edge technology and value for our patients, ensuring that they are not only cared for but empowered to live their healthiest lives. And when our family and friends do need our hospitals, it’s to celebrate the joy of new life or to heal when their bodies require advanced, expert care, trusting us to deliver zero harm, zero mistakes, perfect quality, and exceptional patient experience. Our commitment to care is so profound that regulatory surveys become a routine formality every three years. At Community, safety, excellence, and compassion are not goals — they are our way of life.

Imagine a future where physician shortages no longer exist because we’ve trained more doctors than our community needs, ensuring everyone has access to timely exceptional care. Our use of innovative technologies and a strong focus on value and positive outcomes will ensure that primary care is abundant and accessible, reducing the need for emergency care and unnecessary hospitalizations. As a result, we will need fewer hospital beds, because we’ve succeeded in keeping our community healthy, reducing the demand for inpatient care. Our emergency departments will serve only true emergencies, supported by the comprehensive, preventative services offered through our clinics and health plans — the Right Care, at the Right Time, and in the Right Place.

Imagine Community Health System as the national standard for excellence, with health systems across the country striving to earn the prestigious Community Health Excellence Award. Our health system will thrive financially, reinvesting in our team members, services, infrastructure, research, education, and community outreach programs to prevent and eliminate disease — transforming our approach to care and making us a model for others. In this future, every patient feels safe, every team member is empowered to deliver exceptional care, and every community member feels supported.

Together, we will create a healthier, stronger central California — where trust, compassion, and excellence define every moment of care, and where our use of technology and value-based care sets the standard for health systems across the nation.

This is our compass. Our journey begins today.

About Craig Wagoner

As the president and chief executive officer of Community Health System, Craig Wagoner is committed to advancing healthcare excellence in our region and fulfilling Community’s mission to better the lives of all those we serve. This is evident through his expertise in effective healthcare leadership and decision-making strengths.

Craig first joined Community in 2007, serving as chief operating officer for Clovis Community Medical Center, then as chief operating officer for Community Regional Medical Center in 2011. In 2014, he was promoted to chief executive officer of Community Regional Medical Center. Craig’s CEO role expanded in 2017 to include all Community Medical Centers’ hospitals, clinics and associated facilities. In 2020, he was again promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of Community Health System.

Prior to that, Craig served as chief operating officer at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center in Utah and in a variety of corporate and hospital executive leadership roles with Iasis Healthcare Corporation, the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, Davis Hospital and Medical Center, and American Healthways.

Craig has more than 35 years of healthcare operations and strategic planning experience working with more than 22 hospitals across six states in a range of diverse markets. He earned a Master of Science degree from University of Montana and a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Stanislaus.