Press Releases

SANTA MARIA, CA – Today, Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) visited the Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria to highlight the impact that $1,000,000 in federal funds will help in establishing a permanent home for the OB/GYN residency program.

“OB/GYN residents and doctors are so crucial to the health of our new mothers and families, and the newest members of our community. Despite this, we are facing a shortage of medical professionals in this region to support Central Coast families,” said Congressman Carbajal. “I am proud to have secured $1 million for Marian Regional Medical Center’s OB/GYN Residency Program, which will help give this clinic a permanent home that will bring more medical professionals to the Central Coast, and build a stronger and brighter future for us all.”

Congressman Carbajal was joined by President and CEO Sue Andersen to tour the future home of the expanded Marian Regional Medical Center OB/GYN Residency Program Clinic.

"As our program has grown, we have quickly realized that expansion of clinical and lecture space, in addition to advanced medical equipment, is needed to further the OB/GYN physician residents' training," stated Sue Andersen, President & CEO of Marian Regional Medical Center. "On behalf of the entire Dignity Health team, I extend my most sincere appreciation to Congressman Carbajal for his support and advocacy.  OB/GYN physicians serve all women–from adolescence on–and access to health care for all is imperative."

While the numbers of local and national OB/GYN physicians are declining, in 2022, Marian Regional Medical Center experienced a record number of infant deliveries, totaling more than 3,200.

Establishing a permanent home for the OB/GYN facility and program, which trains medical residents to provide critical prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum services to thousands of Central Coast residents, will help combat a nationwide shortage of OB/GYN physicians – a shortfall that is expected to reach 22,000 physicians by 2050.

 

Marian’s OB/GYN Residency Program Clinic will be operated by Dignity Health’s Pacific Central Coast Health Centers. The Pacific Central Coast Health Centers is a non-profit community clinic organization comprised of nearly 50 health centers located primarily from Templeton to Lompoc and in the Central Valley in Bakersfield and as south as Ventura and Oxnard.

After advocating for this and other community projects over the majority of 2022, Rep. Carbajal successfully secured more than $22 million for 14 projects in the congressional spending package that was signed into law in December.

Rep. Salud Carbajal represents California’s 24th Congressional District, encompassing Santa Barbara County and portions of San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County.