Ben Hensley<\/a><\/p>\nFor years, a brain tumor diagnosis in the Central Valley often meant one thing: pack your bags.<\/p>\n
Patients needing complex neurological treatment routinely left for Stanford, UCLA or hospitals in San Francisco and San Diego \u2014 away from family and home, sometimes for weeks at a time.<\/p>\n
Community Health System\u2019s $30 million investment in Downtown Fresno aims to change that equation.<\/p>\n
A decade in the making<\/p>\n
The Bob Smittcamp Neurosciences Institute formally opened Thursday, anchoring nearly 60,000 square feet of neurological treatment, diagnostics, infusion services, rehabilitation coordination and research space adjacent to Community Regional Medical Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt used to be that if you had this type of brain tumor, or this type of vascular malformation, we had to send you to Stanford, or we had to send you to UCLA,\u201d said Dr. Ian Johnson, chair of neurosciences at Community Health System. \u201cWe\u2019ve cut down on that significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The opening marks the culmination of nearly a decade of growth for Community\u2019s neuroscience program. Johnson said the program has expanded from roughly 2,500 patients annually with only a handful of specialists to a network of more than 60 physicians, 30 advanced practice providers and more than 27,000 patients expected this year.<\/p>\n
![\"interior](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bob-smittcamp-institute-sign.jpg\")
The lobby of the Bob Smittcamp Family Neurosciences Institute in Downtown Fresno. The facility houses more than 40 exam rooms, a dedicated infusion center and collaborative physician workspaces designed to bring neurologists and neurosurgeons together under one roof. Photo by Ben Hensley<\/p>\n
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Inside the facility<\/p>\n
The facility \u2014 built out of a space once used to store COVID-19 equipment \u2014\u00a0 now houses more than 40 exam rooms, a dedicated infusion center for patients receiving treatment for conditions including multiple sclerosis and collaborative physician workspaces designed to encourage neurologists and neurosurgeons to consult on complex cases together.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne eye catches what the other didn\u2019t,\u201d Johnson said during a tour of the facility. \u201cTwo brains are better than one.\u201d<\/p>\n
A family\u2019s mission<\/p>\n
The institute\u2019s name honors the late Bob Smittcamp, whose family championed the project after experiencing firsthand the gaps in local neurological care. Brent Smittcamp said both his father and another family member required treatment that wasn\u2019t available in the Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, with both issues, there just wasn\u2019t the local neural care that we needed,\u201d Brent Smittcamp said. \u201cSo we obviously had a problem in the Central Valley and the way my dad is wired, if there\u2019s a problem, don\u2019t whine about it, find a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
That solution, he said, was a push to build a facility capable of recruiting top specialists and eliminating the need for patients to travel to San Francisco or Los Angeles for care.<\/p>\n
![\"exam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/neurological-exam-room-community-smittcamp.jpg\")
An exam room inside the Bob Smittcamp Family Neurosciences Institute features a wall-mounted workstation and views of Downtown Fresno. Photo by Ben Hensley<\/p>\n
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City\u2019s response<\/p>\n
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said the center addresses a need that has persisted across the region for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor far too long, people in the Valley have had to leave the community and their family to receive specialized care,\u201d Dyer said. \u201cPeople deserve access to high-quality care close to home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Research on the horizon<\/p>\n
The facility is also positioned to expand Community\u2019s research footprint. Johnson said the institute expects to partner with nearby UCSF Fresno on neurological clinical trials, giving Valley patients access to emerging therapies without leaving the region.<\/p>\n
For Johnson, who has practiced in Fresno for more than a decade, the institute signals something beyond a building opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have to have a brain tumor taken out, you don\u2019t want to have to go live in an Airbnb for a month in San Diego or San Francisco,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019d like to go to your own home, because it\u2019s a very stressful time.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"conference](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/smittcamp-conference-room-community-neurological.jpg\")
A conference room overlooks Downtown Fresno at the Bob Smittcamp Family Neurosciences Institute. The facility includes collaborative physician workspaces intended to bring neurologists and neurosurgeons together to consult on complex cases \u2014 what Dr. Ian Johnson described as \u201ctwo brains are better than one.\u201d Photo by Ben Hensley<\/p>\n
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