An architect's rendering of The Heart Group's forthcoming Clovis campus, the first phase of which will include a 40,000-square-foot facility with advanced imaging services.

In the early 1970s, geography itself shaped the odds of surviving a heart attack in the Central Valley. From Los Angeles to Sacramento, for many patients, the nearest coronary care unit lay miles of open road — a distance that separated them from continuous cardiac monitoring, rapid defibrillation and the emerging tools of modern cardiac care.

Against this backdrop of urgent need and limited resources, our group was founded by Dr. Chambers and Dr. Plenys, later joined by Dr. Telles and Dr. Merrill. At the time, the Central Valley faced a critical shortage of cardiovascular specialists. Access gaps were clear, and cardiology itself was still an emerging field, with fragmented practices beginning to take shape across the region.

Our founding physicians recognized the need for something different: a physician-led model focused on expanding specialty care while remaining deeply connected to the community it served. That early commitment to clinician stewardship established a foundation that continues to guide our organization today.

Our early leaders, grounded in their ties to the Central Valley, believed in building an institution that would help to grow cardiovascular services. Their commitment to local ownership and long-term stewardship helped create a group that now cares for more than 50,000 lives and has earned the trust of multiple generations of families across Fresno County and the surrounding region.

 

Governance has played a central role in our growth. Our board is composed entirely of principal partners who are also practicing cardiologists, ensuring that clinical insight remains closely aligned with strategic decision-making. Over time, we have developed a distributed leadership structure with clear checks and balances, allowing both executive leadership and governance teams to exercise capital discipline and risk oversight. In an environment shaped by technological disruption, cybersecurity risk and generational transitions within medical groups, thoughtful governance helps guide a mission that remains straightforward: to invest in clinical and physical infrastructure in the Valley, grow in a principled way and create lasting value for the communities we serve.

Over the past five decades, our organization has evolved from a small group of physicians responding to a regional shortage of care into a physician-led platform committed to long-term community stewardship. That legacy continues to shape how we think about the future. Our governance structure prioritizes disciplined reinvestment in clinical capabilities, including the development of a new cardiovascular campus now underway in Clovis.

We are currently in an exciting period of transition as we invest in an 11.53-acre cardiovascular campus located at the northwest corner of Peach and Herndon avenues. The first phase will include a 40,000-square-foot facility offering advanced clinical services, including CT, MRI, and PET-CT imaging. As the campus develops, we envision expanding into a broader spectrum of cardiovascular and related services. This project represents an important milestone in strengthening the region’s cardiovascular infrastructure and expanding access to advanced care within the Central Valley.

Artificial intelligence is another area of growing interest within health care. I tend to view AI not as a replacement for clinicians but as a potential augmentation of human intelligence. Our team is studying emerging tools to ensure any implementation occurs responsibly and ethically, with physicians remaining closely involved in decision-making. Technologies like these may help health care systems address the challenges of scale at a time when the field of cardiology is also facing growing economic pressures, including increasing administrative complexity and declining reimbursement.

In the Central Valley, where many patients fall within median- to lower-income ranges, maintaining financial sustainability while preserving access to advanced cardiovascular care requires careful balance. Integrating new clinicians with specialized skill sets adds additional complexity, particularly when certain procedures may not align neatly with payer incentives. Addressing these pressures will require collaboration across the broader health care ecosystem, as no single organization can solve these challenges alone.

Despite these headwinds, we are fortunate to work with a highly dedicated management team and a strong pipeline of clinical talent. We have invested in leadership development and succession planning while implementing strategies to address clinician burnout and work-life balance. Providing continuous cardiovascular coverage — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — requires both organizational resilience and deep commitment from our physicians and staff.

Our work also depends on strong partnerships throughout the Fresno County health care ecosystem. We collaborate closely with Saint Agnes Medical Center, Clovis Community Medical Center and Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital. Over time, these relationships have created a regional network where patient care, education and clinical innovation reinforce one another. Through teaching partnerships with Fresno State, California Health Sciences University (CHSU) and Saint Agnes Graduate Medical Education, we help train the next generation of clinicians who often remain in the Valley to serve their communities.

Looking ahead, we expect continued growth in both services and geographic reach. As we expand, decisions about whether to pursue a hub-and-spoke structure or develop smaller satellite clinics will be guided by clear criteria, including patient accessibility, procedure complexity, payer alignment and the health care needs of the populations we serve. Our goal is to grow thoughtfully while ensuring expansion ultimately improves access to care.

No organization grows without moments of loss. Recently, we mourned two extraordinary members of our community. Dr. Fred Valles tragically lost his life in a car accident, and Dr. Plenys passed away after decades of dedicated service. Remarkably, Dr. Plenys continued caring for critically ill patients until his final week. Their legacy reminds us that institutions are ultimately built by individuals whose dedication extends far beyond any single career.

Our organization continues to operate under a clinician-led governance model that prioritizes integrity, reinvestment, and long-term community responsibility. When I reflect on the trust our patients and staff place in our organization, I am deeply humbled. As someone who grew up in the small town of Caruthers, California, I could never have imagined being entrusted with helping lead such an important institution in our region.

As we move toward the opening of our new campus this fall, we look forward to continuing this journey alongside the community we serve. Together, we can continue working to improve the Central Valley’s health for generations to come.

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Jaswant Basraon, DO, MPH, FACC, is CEO of The Heart Group Fresno.