For 125 years, Community Health System has been investing in this region — growing a successful healthcare system that supports our community and serves hundreds of thousands of Valley residents. We are grateful for our dedicated employees, physician partners and generous donors for your ongoing support and being part of the past, present and future of Community.
Message from local leaders
Thank you to these Fresno leaders, who have taken the time to wish Community Health System a happy anniversary!
A timeline of Community Health System
Take a look at some of the notable events in our 125-year history.
► 1897 | Burnett Sanitarium established
Fresno physicians formed a private hospital by joining forces with Mrs. Celia Burnett.
► 1916 | 5-Story Burnett Annex built
The Burnett Sanitarium became known as one of the most modern hospitals on the west coast, with room to care for up to 120 patients.
► 1945 | Burnett Annex becomes nonprofit Fresno Community Hospital
► 1972 | 10-Story bed tower built in downtown Fresno
The need for more hospital beds to help Valley patients continued to rise. Leon S. Peters led a successful campaign to raise $15 million to build and open the new tower.
► 1988 | Clovis Community opens at Herndon and Temperance
Expanding care and services in the Valley, Clovis Community Hospital opens with 120 beds.
► 2002 | Community Behavioral Health Center opens
As the Valley's only inpatient mental health facility, Community Behavioral Health Center provides 24-hour care to patients based on their individual level of need.
► 2003 | Fresno Heart Hospital opens
With 57 private patient suites, Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital (formerly Fresno Heart Hospital) offers patients five-star cardiac, vascular and bariatric surgery services.
► 2007 | Level I Trauma Center opens at Community Regional
The only Level I Trauma Center between Sacramento and Los Angeles, Community Regional serves a 15,000-square-mile service area. The trauma center is staffed 24/7 by 13 surgeons board certified in surgery and critical care.
► 2011 | Terry’s House opens
Terry’s House — a home-away-from-home for families whose loved ones are being treated at Community Regional Medical Center — is 100% funded by donor dollars. Since opening, Terry’s House has served more than 9,000 families across all 50 states and 34 countries … and counting.
► 2014 | Community launches MyChart
MyChart becomes available for patients to use, three years after Community switched to Epic — an electronic medical record (EHR) system — in 2011. Today, Community’s EHR actively exchanges over 700,000 documents electronically each month with other facilities for more seamless continuity of care. Through MyChart, patients can now access their own medical information, talk with their doctor and more, directly from the online tool.
► 2014 | Community Care Health Plan launches
Fresno’s only locally based commercial health plan, Community Care Health, launches — providing members access to a network of more than 2,100 providers, including 1,300+ physicians, 400+ behavioral health practitioners and 400+ other healthcare professionals.
► 2015 | Community expands pediatric services
Through a partnership with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Community opens the Community Pediatric Specialty Center with dozens of experts and more than 20 pediatric specialties.
► 2018 | Community Cancer Institute opens
Patients with cancer can now access world-class cancer care in the Valley. Community Cancer Institute is home to new 3D enhanced mammography machines and the only fully-digital PET/CT scanner in the Central Valley. The community donated $20 million to make this institute possible.
► 2020 | Community Provider Network launches
Focused on physician support, this new division of Community Health System helps provide an extensive continuum of healthcare services. Community Health Partners, a new medical foundation, also launches to provide physicians supports to practice their best medicine.
► 2022 | Clovis Community expansion completed
In 2008, Clovis Community began expansion efforts — increasing the number of patient beds from 109 to 352 — in response to the more than 67% population growth in Clovis since 2000. In 2022, a new 5-story bed tower opened as well as a newly-upgraded main lobby, including one-stop admitting and registration to help simplify patient flow.
