California Area OfficeIn 2013, California Area IHS completed a feasibility study on constructing Regional Specialty Centers to serve the Native American population of California. The feasibility study recommended two inpatient Regional Specialty Centers, to be located in Sacramento and Temecula.
What is a Regional Specialty Center?
A Regional Specialty Center is a health care facility that offers the following services:
- Specialty Healthcare
- Ambulatory Surgery
- Modern Diagnostics
- Tele-Medicine
- Short Stays
- Overnight Stays
- Intensive Care/Inpatient Services
Regional Specialty Centers would NOT offer the following services:
- Primary Care
- Emergency Care
- Walk-In Services for Local Native People
Regional Specialty Centers are designed to support, not replace or compete with, services presently offered at Tribal and Urban Indian Health Programs across the state. A patient would require a referral to be seen.
Recent Consultation Efforts
California Area IHS conducted several consultations in 2022-2023 to share the Regional Specialty Centers concept to ensure Tribal representatives could provide input and guide the process. These efforts included:
- Annual Tribal Consultation, April 2022
- California Area Tribal Advisory Committee (CATAC) Special Meeting, May 2022
- Program Directors Meeting, June 2022
- Tribal Leaders Meeting, August 2022
- CATAC Meeting, October 2022
- CATAC and Program Directors Combined Meeting, December 2022
- CRIHB Quarterly Meeting, January 2023
- CATAC Meeting, February 2023
- Annual Tribal Consultation, April 2023
- CATAC and Program Directors Combined Meeting, September 2023
- California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH) Meeting, October 2023
- CATAC Meeting, December 2023
- Central California Tribal Chairpersons’ Association (CCTCA), December 2023
Some of the presentations for these meetings are available for download under the "Documents available for download" section.
Revision of Feasibility Study
In 2024, the feasibility study was revised to update the user population, size, services and costs. Furthermore, the updated study includes a number of measures requested by Tribal leaders to ensure the centers are more accessible for all Native people in California. Some of these modifications include:
- Patient and caregiver transportation
- On-site lodging for patents and caregivers
- Specialty caregivers traveling to Tribal or Urban sites to provide some services
- Maximizing use of telemedicine to eliminate unnecessary trips
- Both centers serving as a hub for specialty pharmacy needs and durable medical equipment
For more information about the Regional Specialty Centers concept and input IHS has received from Program Directors and Tribal Leaders, please review the documents available for download below.
For additional information, CONTACT:
Jonathan Rash, PE, OEHE Associate Director
Office: (916) 930-3981, ext. 344
E-mail: jonathan.rash@ihs.gov
Ali S. Ali, PE, Director of Health Facilities Engineering
Office: (916) 930-3981, ext. 203
E-mail: ali.ali@ihs.gov
Documents available for download:
2024 Revision to the Regional Specialty Centers Feasibility Study (PDF)
April 2023 Update to Tribal Leaders - Regional Specialty Centers: Current Status and Next Steps (PDF)
October 2022 Presentation to California Area Tribal Advisory Committee (PDF)
