Community Health System (CHS) on Monday announced a $2.5 million gift to enhance the postpartum department at Community Regional Medical Center.
The gift was made by the Sang family in honor of Dr. New Sang’s mother, Dr. Orathai Sangrujiveth, who has provided care to newborns at Community’s hospitals for more than 37 years.
In honor of and in recognition of their generosity, the postpartum programs at Community Regional and Clovis Community Medical Center will be named the “Sang Family Postpartum & Newborn Care,” and the funds will be used to enhance the patient experience at Community Regional, including remodeling rooms and adding showers to the bathrooms in the postpartum department downtown. Postpartum is the area where mothers and babies stay after delivery.
Dr. Orathai Sangrujiveth has practiced as a pediatrician in the Central Valley since 1985 and was joined by her son in 2012, when they established Sang Pediatrics together.
Both physicians have provided care for newborns at Community Regional and Clovis Community. Dr. Sang has also treated the Valley’s tiniest and most critically ill babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at Community Regional.
“The best and safest place to give birth in the Central Valley is at Community,” said Dr. Sang. “The hardest cases get transferred to Community Regional because the doctors and nurses provide the highest level of care there. With the upgraded rooms, the environment will reflect the exceptional care.”
Dr. Sang hopes his family’s gift inspires other physicians and community members to give back to the hospital.
“This donation is not just an investment in Community Regional. It is an investment in the thousands of babies who will get their start at Sang Family Postpartum & Newborn Care each and every year,” said Craig S. Castro, CHS president and CEO.
More than 60 percent of Fresno County’s babies — about 10,000 each year — are born at the system’s two hospitals.
“The Sang family has supported our community’s youngest patients for decades,” said Katie Zenovich, senior vice president, development & external affairs and chief fund development officer. “This remarkable donation will ensure that their family legacy continues for years and years to come.”
