Clovis Community Medical Center Birth Injury Lawyers

This page is for families who delivered a baby at Clovis Community Medical Center, at 2755 Herndon Avenue in Clovis, Fresno County, California, and who now have questions about how the birth went. Maybe your baby needed extra help breathing, spent time in the NICU, was later diagnosed with a condition such as cerebral palsy, or you were hurt yourself during delivery. Wanting clear answers is normal, and you do not have to have everything figured out to begin asking.

Clovis Community Medical Center is part of the Community Medical Centers system and serves families in Clovis and across the Fresno area. According to the hospital's 2024 report to the state (HCAI), its newborn nursery cared for 3,856 newborns that year, and its neonatal intensive care unit had 8 licensed beds and 260 discharges. Most births there go well. This page is not about blaming anyone. It explains, in plain language, what birth injuries are, what signs to watch for, who may be involved in a claim, and what steps a family can take to understand its options.

Beverly Law is a California law firm. The information below is general education, not legal advice about your situation, and it does not say that anything went wrong in any particular delivery. Every family's story is different, and only a careful review of the medical records by qualified experts can tell what happened in your case.

Labor and delivery at Clovis Community Medical Center

According to the hospital's own website, Clovis Community Medical Center offers labor and delivery, postpartum care and a neonatal intensive care unit in its three-story Women's & Children's Pavilion. The hospital describes private delivery rooms and a postpartum and newborn care unit with private rooms, along with lactation consultants. The hospital's website describes the maternity program as part of the Peters Future Generations Center.

The hospital's NICU page describes a Level II (intermediate) neonatal intensive care unit that cares for infants born at around 32 weeks of gestation or later. According to the hospital's 2024 report to the state (HCAI), the hospital has 8 licensed NICU beds, its newborn nursery cared for 3,856 newborns in 2024, and the NICU had 260 discharges. The hospital's site explains that babies who need a higher level of intensive care may be cared for at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, which is part of the same health system.

The state report lists the hospital as a private nonprofit corporation, and its parent organization in that report is Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center. That matters later in this page, because the rules for a claim can differ depending on whether a hospital is public, private or part of a prepaid health plan.

Birth injuries families ask about after a difficult delivery

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) means that a baby's brain did not receive enough oxygen or blood flow around the time of birth. Babies with HIE are usually watched closely in the NICU for breathing problems, seizures, trouble feeding and unusual muscle tone. Outcomes range widely, from full recovery to lasting disability, and the long-term picture often takes months or years to become clear.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect movement, balance and posture. The CDC explains that CP is the most common motor disability in childhood, that most cases are congenital (the problem begins before or during birth), and that the exact cause is often unknown. The CDC also notes that scientists now think a lack of oxygen during birth explains only a small number of cases. That is one reason a careful, independent medical review matters: a diagnosis alone does not show what caused it.

Erb's palsy, also called a brachial plexus birth injury, involves the nerves that control the arm and shoulder. Kennedy Krieger Institute explains that it is the most common brachial plexus injury in newborns and typically happens when the head and neck are pulled to the side as the shoulders pass through the birth canal. Risk is higher with prolonged or rushed deliveries, breech births and larger babies. Milder cases often improve with therapy or on their own within months, while severe cases may need surgery.

Other problems families ask about include bleeding in a newborn's brain, a broken collarbone or skull fracture, and infections such as group B strep (GBS) that can make a newborn very sick. Mothers can also be hurt, for example by heavy bleeding (postpartum hemorrhage) or tears. These are general medical topics. Having one of them does not mean anyone made a mistake, and nothing here describes any specific delivery at this hospital.

Warning signs of a birth injury in the first days, weeks and months

In the first days, parents and nurses often notice that a baby is very floppy or very stiff, has trouble breathing, feeding or staying awake, has seizures or jerking movements, has a weak or high-pitched cry, or does not move one arm. A baby who needs to go to the NICU after birth is being given extra care, and it is fine to ask the care team what they are seeing and why.

In the weeks and months that follow, the CDC lists signs of cerebral palsy to watch for. Before six months, these include a head that lags when the baby is picked up, a body that feels stiff or floppy, and legs that stiffen or cross like scissors. After six months, a baby may not roll over, may have trouble bringing the hands together or to the mouth, or may reach with only one hand. Around ten months, some babies crawl in a lopsided way. A main sign is delay in motor milestones such as sitting or walking.

Many children with these signs turn out not to have a serious condition, and many serious conditions have causes unrelated to the delivery. Still, if something worries you, speak to your child's pediatrician soon and ask about a developmental evaluation. Writing down dates, symptoms and what doctors tell you can be very helpful later.

Who may be responsible in a birth-injury claim

Many people take part in a delivery: labor and delivery nurses, the obstetrician, a midwife if there is one, an anesthesiologist, a pediatrician or neonatologist, and the hospital itself. In a birth-injury claim, any of them may be reviewed, depending on what the records show. Whether anyone is legally responsible is a question for experts and, if needed, a court. It is never assumed.

An important question is who employed each person. Nurses and other staff are often employed by the hospital. Many physicians, however, are independent doctors or belong to a separate medical group that has privileges at the hospital. That distinction affects who may be named in a claim, and it is one reason it helps to have the records reviewed before drawing conclusions.

The type of hospital also matters. Claims against public hospitals follow special rules with a very short written-claim period, and members of some prepaid health plans have agreed to arbitration instead of a court trial. The state's data classifies this hospital as a private nonprofit, but a lawyer should confirm which rules apply to your specific situation, including the health plan that covered your delivery.

How an independent expert review of a delivery works

A birth-injury review starts with the medical records of the mother and the baby. Reviewers look at the fetal heart monitoring strips recorded during labor, the timing of key decisions, the baby's Apgar scores at one and five minutes, umbilical cord blood gas results, the delivery notes, and the NICU records. Brain imaging such as an MRI can also help doctors understand when and how a brain injury may have happened.

A medical case depends on qualified medical opinion, so a lawyer will usually ask independent physicians, such as an obstetrician, a neonatologist or a pediatric neurologist, to review the file. These experts have no ties to the hospital. Their job is to say whether the care met accepted standards and whether it is connected to the child's condition. Sometimes the answer is that the care was appropriate and the condition had other causes. That is useful information too.

Reviews take time because records can run to thousands of pages. A family does not need to understand the monitoring strips or the lab numbers. Part of our work is to explain them to you in ordinary words.

What a family can do now: step by step

First, take care of your child and yourself. Keep up with pediatric, therapy and follow-up visits, and write down what you see at home. Second, ask for the records. The hospital's health information department can send you the mother's and the baby's charts, including the fetal monitoring strips. Third, keep everything you receive: discharge papers, bills, insurance letters, photos, and any messages with the care team.

Fourth, do not wait because of deadlines. California has strict time limits for medical claims, and some claims against public hospitals require a written claim within six months. Parents' own claims can have shorter deadlines than a child's. Fifth, speak with a lawyer who handles birth injuries. A first conversation lets you ask questions and learn what the deadlines are for your situation. Talking to a lawyer does not commit you to anything.

If you decide to move forward, the legal process generally includes an expert review, a required written notice to the providers, and then, if appropriate, a lawsuit. The legal sections below explain the main rules in more detail.

Support for your child while a case is reviewed

Your child's care should never wait for a legal process. Depending on the diagnosis, children may benefit from physical, occupational and speech therapy, specialist visits, equipment and home support. Ask your pediatrician for referrals as early as possible, because early therapy can make a real difference.

Babies and toddlers under three who have a developmental delay or a diagnosed condition may qualify for California's Early Start program through a regional center. Families may also ask whether their child qualifies for Medi-Cal or for California Children's Services (CCS), which can help with some medical conditions. Eligibility depends on the child and the family, and we cannot promise any result, but it costs nothing to ask.

You are not alone. Parent support groups, your pediatrician's office and the hospital's own social workers can also point you toward local resources.

Deadlines for a birth-injury case in California

California gives a child’s birth-injury case its own deadline. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 340.5, a minor must sue within three years of the wrongful act, but a child who was under six when it happened has until his or her eighth birthday if that is longer. For a baby hurt during labor or delivery, that usually means the eighth birthday. The clock runs from the act itself, not from the day the family learned what went wrong, and it is paused only in narrow cases of fraud or collusion. Parents’ own claims, and claims against a public hospital, can have much shorter deadlines, so it is safer to get advice early.

Before a medical malpractice lawsuit can be filed in California, the doctor or hospital must get written warning. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 364, the health care provider must receive at least 90 days’ notice of the intention to sue. No special form is required, but the notice must state the legal basis of the claim, the type of loss and the specific injuries suffered. Under § 364(d), if the notice is served within the last 90 days of the filing deadline, the deadline is extended 90 days from the date of service. The notice is a required step, and it is often the moment a case moves from questions to formal action.

What MICRA caps — and what it does not

California’s MICRA law limits one part of a medical malpractice recovery. Under Civil Code § 3333.2, as amended by AB 35, non-economic damages (pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life) are capped. In 2026 the cap is $470,000 for injury and $650,000 for wrongful death, and it rises every January 1 ($40,000 and $50,000 a year until 2033, then 2% a year). Separate caps can apply to doctors, hospitals and unaffiliated providers. Economic damages are not capped: lifetime medical care, therapy, equipment, home modifications and lost earning capacity can be recovered in full, and in a birth-injury case they are usually the largest part of the claim.

How to get the delivery records from Clovis Community Medical Center

California law gives families a right to these records. Under Health and Safety Code § 123110, a patient or the patient’s personal representative — for a baby, a parent or guardian (§ 123105) — may inspect the records within five working days of a written request and is entitled to a paper or electronic copy, which the provider must send within 15 days after receiving a request that says which records are wanted. For a birth-injury review, ask for both charts: the mother’s labor and delivery record, including the fetal heart rate monitoring strips, and the baby’s newborn and NICU record.

To get the mother's and baby's records from Clovis Community Medical Center, contact its Health Information Management Department at 2755 Herndon Avenue, Clovis, CA 93611 (phone 559-324-4066, fax 559-324-3708). According to the hospital's website, you complete its Authorization for Disclosure Form, available in English and Spanish, and send it by mail or fax. The site says copies may carry a reasonable, cost-based fee and processing can take up to 15 business days. Ask specifically for the labor and delivery chart, the fetal monitoring strips, the newborn nursery and NICU records, and the cord blood gas results.

The hospital’s medical records page →

Where a case from Clovis would be filed

A medical malpractice lawsuit for a child's birth injury in Fresno County would usually be filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno. According to the court's website, unlimited civil cases, which include most personal injury cases of this size, are heard at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse, 1130 O Street, Fresno, CA 93721-2220. A lawyer will confirm the correct court and venue for your case before anything is filed.

Superior Court of California, County of Fresno (B.F. Sisk Courthouse, civil unlimited) → — 1130 O Street, Fresno, CA 93721-2220

Help for your child now: Early Start in Fresno County

Early Start is California's early intervention program for babies and toddlers under age 3 who have a developmental delay or a condition that may cause one. In Clovis and Fresno County, Early Start runs through Central Valley Regional Center, 4615 North Marty, Fresno, CA 93722. According to the state's regional center listing (dds.ca.gov), the Fresno Early Start intake line is 559-276-4300. Call and ask for an Early Start evaluation, or use the referral form on cvrc.org. A doctor's referral is helpful but families can also contact the center directly, and the center asks you to call before sending health information so it can be transferred securely.

Central Valley Regional Center (Fresno) →

Key facts

Questions parents ask

Other Fresno County hospitals we cover

Saint Agnes Medical Center

Related pages

Cerebral Palsy · Erb’s Palsy / Brachial Plexus Injury · HIE / Oxygen Deprivation at Birth · Statute of Limitations · MICRA Damages Cap · All California hospitals · California birth injury lawyers · Birth injury guides

Beverly Law is an independent law firm. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or speaking for Clovis Community Medical Center or Community Health System (Community Medical Centers). Hospital facts on this page come from the public sources listed above.

Important: This page is general information about birth injuries and California law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Beverly Law. Every case is different — talk to a lawyer about your own situation. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. No fees or costs unless we win. Last reviewed: 2026-09-18.