UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach announced the formation of a strategic alliance on Thursday.

The hospitals said they plan to share resources and bring academic, clinical and research expertise to serve children’s healthcare needs in Southern California.

“We are extremely pleased at the opportunity to work with Miller Children’s leadership, physicians and staff to expand access to care to more children throughout Southern California,” Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and chief executive of UCLA Hospital System, said in a statement.

The 369-bed Miller Children’s hospital in Long Beach is part of the MemorialCare Health System and is among the country’s 10 largest children’s hospitals.

MemorialCare has more than 200 care sites including Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

UCLA’s Children’s Hospital is part of UCLA Health, which includes four hospitals on two campuses with around a 160 primary care and specialty clinics in the region.

The organizations are among a small number of health care providers nationwide with children’s and women’s hospitals on the same campus.

The alliance plans to focus on growing its pediatric specialty care by adding more outpatient facilities and expanding efforts to manage the health of children.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to leverage both organizations’ exceptional strengths in pediatrics while greatly improving the health and health care of children,” John Bishop, chief executive of Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, said in a statement.

Reporter Shwanika Narayan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @shwanika.