A Healthier Future

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This story is from the 2026 issue of Discoveries, a UC San Diego Health Sciences magazine.

UC San Diego Health and Palomar Health have signed a groundbreaking joint powers authority (JPA) agreement that represents an unparalleled opportunity to transform health care delivery in North County San Diego and beyond. The partnership is focused on providing a sustainable framework for both health systems to expand their specialty services.

As public entities, UC San Diego Health and Palomar Health are uniquely positioned to collaborate through this innovative legal structure. The JPA establishes a clear road map for the mutually beneficial management, operation and expansion of health care services across all Palomar Health facilities, ensuring patients can continue to receive care close to home while gaining access to new services, leading specialists and clinical trials.

“This once-in-a-generation opportunity to form a Joint Powers Authority with Palomar Health lays the groundwork for decades of regional impact,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “By joining forces, we are forging a healthier future — one that brings UC San Diego’s world-class academic medicine to more people in more communities than ever before.”

The partnership addresses a critical need for both systems. UC San Diego Health, the region’s only academic health system, continues to experience unprecedented demand for services. The JPA provides timely, cost-effective growth through immediate access to more than 500 patient beds across Palomar Health’s two campuses as well as two shelled but unfinished floors at the 740,000-square-foot Escondido facility.

“We are stabilizing and preserving health care services in a district that serves nearly 1 million people by expanding and enhancing clinical programs in a cost-effective way,” said Patty Maysent, MPH, MBA, of UC San Diego Health. “This JPA enables us to strategically align the growth plans of two public health systems to improve efficiency, reduce costs and optimize investments that will better meet the health care needs of our entire region.”

The collaboration will increase inpatient capacity for UC San Diego Health years sooner and at a fraction of the cost of new development while providing Palomar Health with access to working capital and a wider range of services and experts close to home.

The fully implemented JPA will be governed by a six-member independent board with equal representation from both systems, ensuring collaborative decision-making while maintaining Palomar Health’s hospital licenses and independent medical staff.