Teamwork Leads to Major California Grant Wins

In December, multiple CommonSpirit Health foundations received generous grant awards from CalMedForce/CalMedForce+, which helps to fund and expand residency and fellowship training programs across the state of California.

The programs that will benefit from the funding include:

St. Joseph’s Medical Center Residency Program, Stockton, California — which received eight awards totaling $2,885,000
Bakersfield Memorial Internal Medicine Program, Bakersfield, California — which received $315,000
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Program, Carmichael, California — which received $315,000
Morehouse/Dominican Family Medicine Residency Program (Dominican Hospital), Santa Cruz, California — which received $315,000

Grants Story The application submission process was supported by The Philanthropy Grants Roundtable, which brought together all CommonSpirit foundation teams throughout California to share best practices, updates and lessons learned.

“Across the state, we are working collectively and collaboratively to expand Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs and address the severe physician shortages — which are particularly high in underserved and rural communities like the San Joaquin Valley,” says Robyn Flores, MA, who helped to secure the awards for St. Joseph’s Medical Center and Mercy San Juan Medical Center.

“Our partnership with CalMedForce has been essential to this progress, especially at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, which will soon have more than 300 residents and fellows graduating with a high likelihood of remaining to serve our region.”

The St. Joseph’s GME programs will be highlighted at the upcoming ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) Annual Educational Conference in February 2026, as an example of a successful model for fueling the pipeline of physicians in California and shaping the future of GME.

Meanwhile in Bakersfield, the $315,000 award will help open an additional internal medicine residency slot over the next three years. The Bakersfield Memorial Internal Medicine residency programs partners with the Morehouse School of Medicine, supporting a collective focus on health promotion and healthcare delivery in underserved communities — with Kern County and Southern California being one of the most diverse communities in the nation.

“The CommonSpirit Health Philanthropy national office was thrilled to help Bakersfield Memorial secure their grant for the Internal Medicine GME program,” says Jennifer Gravois, System Director, National Grants Development. “This was a team effort that began and ended with the input, guidance and commitment of the local experts at Bakersfield Memorial — the hospital, the residency program and at the local foundation.”

Residents are more likely to practice where they are trained, so every residency slot funded is an investment in our current programs and our future workforce. More physicians, and more specialty care, will help build healthy, stronger communities — the heart of CommonSpirit’s mission.

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