Cottage Health is a not-for-profit regional health system serving California's Central Coast. Founded in 1888 and unified as a single system in 1996, it operates five hospitals - Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, Cottage Children's Medical Center, and Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital - alongside specialized institutes covering neuroscience, heart and vascular care, and orthopedics, as well as urgent care centers and 24/7 virtual care services.
On the technical and clinical side, the system holds a Level I Trauma Center designation for adults and a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center designation - the highest and second-highest classifications respectively - and handles approximately 80,000 emergency patients and 21,000 inpatient admissions each year. Its virtual care platform has logged over 10,000 visits since launching in 2019.
Technology and digital health play a growing role across the organization. Cottage Health's operational footprint spans acute hospital care, emergency and trauma medicine, telehealth infrastructure, population health programs, and enterprise support systems - all within a not-for-profit structure that directs resources toward community benefit rather than shareholder returns.
The system's stated mission is to provide superior healthcare that improves community health. It runs population health initiatives targeting vulnerable populations and maintains the Cottage Assistance & Relief (CARE) Fund to support employees facing hardship. Its core values - excellence, integrity, and compassion - are cited as guiding principles across its operations.
