Valley Children's to build 73,000-square-foot outpatient pavilion in Madera

Valley Children’s Healthcare will build a 73,000-square-foot Ambulatory Pavilion on its Madera campus, a $73 million project meant to bring specialty pediatric care under one roof for families across Fresno County and the South Valley. The new building is planned north of the main hospital and east of Founder’s Plaza, with construction expected to begin in spring 2027 and patients expected to start using it in 2029.

The pavilion is designed to centralize specialty services for children with complex medical needs, so families can move through appointments with fewer stops between providers.

Valley Children’s will pay for the project from organizational reserves, with no money pulled from patient care. The design will reflect feedback from doctors, staff and patient families, and will include play areas for children and features intended to better serve children with autism. Valley Children’s already operates George’s Pass, a multidisciplinary program built to individualize care and improve the hospital experience for children with autism spectrum disorder.

The pavilion fits into a larger Madera campus that has kept expanding since Valley Children’s moved from Fresno in 1998. The campus has grown to more than 700 acres, and the health system serves more than 1.3 million children in Central California with more than 740 physicians and 4,000 staff.

Chief executive Todd Suntrapak said the goal is to make the care experience more supportive for families, while Dr. Vinod Balasa of the Valley Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center said pulling key services together will make visits more seamless and convenient. Veronica Campbell, whose son sees multiple specialists at Valley Children’s, said her family is excited about what the pavilion could mean for easier visits.