Photo via Pixabay
Photo via Pixabay

UC San Diego Health and the Tri-City Healthcare District Wednesday announced an exclusive affiliation designed to bring higher quality medical care to the North County.

The deal will allow patients of Tri-City Healthcare District to have local access to UC San Diego Health experts for neurosurgical and certain other designated subspecialties of care, as well as continued access to comprehensive psychiatric services. They can also receive advanced diagnostic, imaging, surgical, oncological and cardiac services.

“We considered a number of health care providers in San Diego County before making this decision,” said Tim Moran, CEO of Tri-City Healthcare District, which encompasses Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista.

The district operates the 397-bed Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, which includes a neonatal intensive care unit, institutes for cardiovascular health and orthopedic and spine care, and a highly regarded wellness center.

“By affiliating with UC San Diego Health, Tri-City Healthcare District will greatly expand the depth and breadth of specialized medical and surgical services available to our community,” Moran said. “Connecting to the region’s only academic health system will also benefit our clinical teams, helping them to gain access to novel research and education of UC San Diego School of Medicine.”

Patty Maysent, the interim CEO of UC San Diego Health, said the agreement will help the hospital deliver efficient and cost-effective care.

The affiliation is the second announced by a San Diego-area healthcare provider in the past week or so.

Scripps Health entered into a two-year agreement with the Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District of Brawley, which they expect will improve patient care in Imperial County.

—City News Service