Sutter Buys Land to Expand Medical Facility

Article Last Updated: Monday, Aug 15, 2005 - 11:41:58 pm PDT

Sutter Buys Land to Expand Medical Facility
By Sarah Arnquist

FAIRFIELD - Sutter Regional Medical Foundation announced Monday the purchase of 11.2 acres from Anheuser-Busch for $3.9 million, on which it plans to build additional medical offices at its Fairfield medical campus near Highway 12.

Sutter intends to meet the growing needs in Solano County, one of the fastest-growing counties in Northern California, said John Ray, the Foundation's chief executive.

"This land acquisition will allow us to develop the facilities and services necessary to meet the needs of our growing community into the future with the level of technology and service our patients expect and deserve," Ray said.

Sutter Regional Medical Foundation is a locally governed and managed affiliate of Sutter Health, a not-for-profit physician and hospital network in Northern California. The Foundation built a $35 million medical office, outpatient surgery and diagnostic imaging center in 2004 on Chadbourne Road near Highway 12. Monday's land acquisition is part of the Foundation's $42.5 million Solano County expansion plan.

The Solano Regional Medical Group, the county's largest multi-specialty group practice and a Foundation affiliate, plans to move from its current 20-year-old facility on Empire and Pennsylvania streets to the new medical building by fall of 2006.

The Foundation leases the building on Empire Street, and Ray said he is unsure what will happen to it when doctors move in 2006.

The Foundation now has 66 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician's assistants. It hopes to bring 24 new physician members to Solano County by 2010. Ray said the Foundation must have state-of-the-art facilities to attract new physicians and patients.

Health industry executives from Kaiser Permanente and NorthBay Healthcare also have multi-million dollar expansion plans for Solano County.

The projections show that this county will continue growing, and the population here is getting older too, Ray said.

"The need for health care services is also going to continue to grow," he said.

Reach Sarah Arnquist at 427-6953 or sarnquist@dailyrepublic.net.

Proposed health expansions to Solano County

NorthBay Healthcare

-- $10.8 million VacaValley Hospital Emergency Department expansion that will triple the ER to be completed by 2007.

-- New Center for Primary Care near Waterman Road in Fairfield to be complete in 2006.

-- Plans for a 20-acre Green Valley Medical Campus with a new hospital, medical office building and conference center.

Sutter Health Affiliates

-- Opened new $35 million medical office, outpatient surgery and imaging center Chadbourne Road in Fairfield in fall 2004.

-- Will build a new 50,000-square-foot medical office building adjacent to the building on Chadbourne Road.

-- Building a 60,000-square-foot cancer center and medical office building in Vallejo to be completed this fall.

-- Will add clinic space for 12 new doctors in Fairfield and Vacaville.

-- Will add a doctor to Rio Vista.

Kaiser

-- $350 million Vallejo Tower Expansion: 460,000-square-foot expansion will add 188 new hospital beds opening 2008.

-- $300,000 million Vacaville Hospital and Medical Center: 460,000 square foot hospital with 150 beds and 217,000 square foot medical office building opening 2009.

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