Sansum Clinic
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Sansum Clinic, founded in 1921, is one of the oldest
non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
outpatient clinics in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Located in Santa Barbara, it is also one of the largest healthcare providers on the south and central coast of California. The Sansum Clinic was established by Dr. William David Sansum, the first physician to develop and administer
insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...
in the U.S. to successfully treat a diabetic patient. The clinic expanded to treat other patients who did not require hospitalization. As of October 2023, Sansum Clinic's approximately 1,450
physicians A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and staff represent more than 30
medical specialties A medical specialty is a branch of medical practice that is focused on a defined group of patients, diseases, skills, or philosophy. Examples include those branches of medicine that deal exclusively with children (paediatrics), cancer (oncology), ...
and subspecialties at 22 patient care locations.


History

Two of the oldest clinics in the area, Sansum Medical Clinic and Santa Barbara Medical Clinic, merged in 1998 as the Sansum-Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic; in 2006, it was renamed Sansum Clinic. The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara joined Sansum Clinic as the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara with Sansum Clinic in 2012. In 2017, the Cancer Center opened a new facility and was renamed the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, in honor of lead donor Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree. In 2023, Sansum Clinic joined the Sacramento-based Sutter Health, to bring the benefits of that larger integrated healthcare system to the Central Coast.


Sansum Medical Clinic

In 1920, William D. Sansum (1880–1948) arrived in Santa Barbara, California to serve as head of the Potter Metabolic Clinic. This clinic was founded in 1916 in a New York City Hospital to serve patients with
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
,
nephritis Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy. Types * Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of th ...
and
gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...
. The Potter Clinic was largely funded by the
Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...
, and in 1919 was moved to Santa Barbara. Dr. Sansum specialized in diabetes, a fatal disease at the time. It was the subject of his doctoral
thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
, and the related theme in nearly twenty scholarly papers he wrote in eight years. In May 1922, Dr. Sansum became the first physician to develop and administer insulin in the U.S. to successfully treat a diabetic patient. He also developed methods to obtain a higher yield of insulin from raw material. Dr. Sansum established the Sansum Medical Clinic in 1928 to treat health problems of patients (who did not require hospitalization) with the latest research and medical advances at the time. The Sansum Medical Clinic focused on clinical specialization, assessment and treatment and research. The clinic attracted out-of-town and out-of-state patients, especially those with diabetes, in need of specialized medical services.


Santa Barbara Medical Clinic

The Santa Barbara Clinic was established in 1921 as one of the earliest multi-specialty group medical practices in the nation. Dr. Rexwald Brown headed the new clinic. He was influenced by watching the collaborative process of physicians in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, observing physicians, each with a different specialty, operating together to diagnose and treat the wounded
soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
efficiently. He brought the same process to a civilian setting. He felt specialists could remain current in their own field, and work collaboratively with other specialists to provide the best resources and knowledge to help a patient. This new concept gained acceptance and continued to grow; physicians were added every year as the need for different specialists was recognized. This was in contrast to the traditional role of clinics at that time which were defined as hospital-based research-oriented facilities, treating patients with specific ailments.


Cancer Center of Santa Barbara

The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara was formed in 1950 with the donation of funds to purchase a one-million-volt
x-ray machine An X-ray machine is any machine that involves X-rays. It may consist of an X-ray generator and an X-ray detector. Examples include: *Machines for medical projectional radiography *Machines for computed tomography *Backscatter X-ray machines, used ...
. In 1949, Lillian Converse was treated for terminal
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
. Though she died, her husband Elisha Converse donated the funds for her doctor, Henry Ullmann, to purchase the x-ray machine in the memory of his wife; it was one of seven in the United States used to treat cancer at the time. Through the contributions of families and charities, the non-surgical and outpatient center committed itself to advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of cancer. In 2012 the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara merged with Sansum Clinic to create the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara with Sansum Clinic.


Ridley-Tree Cancer Center

In 2017, the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara opened a new facility and was re-named Ridley-Tree Cancer Center. The new name honors Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree, honorary campaign chair, for her leadership and significant gift to the campaign for the new center.


Sutter Health

In 2023, Sansum Clinic announced that it joined
Sutter Health Sutter Health is a not-for-profit Integrated delivery system, integrated health delivery system headquartered in Sacramento, California, Sacramento, California. It operates 24 acute care hospitals and over 200 clinics in Northern California. Sut ...
, a not-for-profit integrated health delivery system based in Northern California.


Current practice

Sansum Clinic has more than 250 physicians representing more than 30 specialties. The clinic sees more than 125,000 patients (600,000 patient visits) per year and draws patients from all around the country, primarily serving patients throughout Santa Barbara County and the surrounding counties of Ventura,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
Kern KERN (1180 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Wasco-Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General Media. The radio studios and offices are in the American General Me ...
and
San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfwa ...
. The non-profit clinic offers health education throughout Santa Barbara and wellness programs and services at a reduced price or free, as well as a day camp for children with chronic asthma at no charge.


Locations

Sansum Clinic operates patient care facilities in
Carpinteria Carpinteria (; es, Carpintería, meaning "Carpentry") is a small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast of California, it had a population of 13,264 at the 2020 census. Carpinteria is a po ...
, Santa Barbara,
Goleta Goleta or La Goleta may refer to: * ''Goleta'' (spider), a spider genus * Goleta, California, United States, a suburban city in Santa Barbara County * La Goleta, the Spanish and Portuguese name for La Goulette La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), i ...
and Solvang. In addition to the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, It also operates centers for specific medical specialties, such as the Travel & Tropical Medicine Center, Bariatric Surgery Center, Laser Eye Care Center, Facial Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics, and Breast Imaging Center. In 2014, Sansum Clinic opened the Foothill Surgery Center, an ambulatory surgery center fully accredited by the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. .


Innovations

Sansum Clinic was the first place in the United States where insulin was developed and successfully administered to treat diabetes. Sansum Clinic was among the earliest multi-specialty group practices established in the nation. Erno Daniel was among the first physicians in the United States to be certified in the medical specialty of
geriatric medicine Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατρός ''iatros' ...
. Internist Paul Linaweaver came in with a specialization in undersea medicine and was Director of the West Coast Center for the National Diving Accident Network (now Divers Alert Network). Dr. Casimir Domz, performed the first successful bone marrow transplant in a patient with an immune deficiency. The studies on diet and nutrition by Alfred Koehler, focused on the role fat and cholesterol play in degenerative diseases and were years ahead of their time in showing a relationship between cholesterol and arteriosclerosis. Drs. Francis and Marianna Masin were pioneers in the field of cytology, studying cells in relation to various cancers.


See also

* Lois Jovanovič


References


External links


Official websiteRidley-Tree Cancer Center official website
{{Coord, 34.4291, -119.7225, display=title Buildings and structures in Santa Barbara, California