Sutter Gould Announces the Opening of the Stockton Medical Plaza

For more information, please view the attached .pdf file September 8, 2006

STOCKTON – Sutter Gould Medical Foundation announced today that physicians and staff will begin seeing patients September 11 at the new Stockton Medical Plaza, a 70,000 square-foot, three-story medical office building on the corner of Hammer Lane and Don Avenue in Stockton. The new facility is one part of the Sutter Health network’s multi-billion-dollar plan to improve, replace or build dozens of Northern California community-based outpatient care centers and hospitals over the next 10 years.

To better serve the growing community, the medical plaza includes a host of services in one convenient location as well as the latest in health information and imaging technology. It will house Gould Medical Group physicians specializing in pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and endocrinology. The departments will move into the building, located at 2505 W. Hammer Lane, in a two-phase process – with internal medicine, family medicine and endocrinology taking appointments beginning September 11 and pediatrics and OB/Gyn on September 18.

“We are excited about the enhanced service and features we will be able to provide our patients,” said James Conforti, Sutter Gould Medical Foundation’s chief executive officer. “With the consolidation of multiple clinic locations into one, we feel that we now have a state-of-the-art facility in Stockton to complement our top-quality physicians and staff while further promoting an integrated approach to care.”

The medical office building is equipped with new health technology features. EPIC, Sutter Gould’s electronic medical record system, allows Gould physicians to access a patient’s medical record instantly to review lab results, prior physician visits, and prescription histories. The computer resources at the physician’s fingertips also include PACS, a filmless picture archiving and communications system that allows Gould radiologists to share digital images and diagnoses instead of shipping X-ray film between locations.

Laboratory and imaging services will begin in December, with state-of-the-art imaging equipment, including a 64-slice CT scanner capable of cardiac and coronary artery studies, virtual colonoscopies and cutting-edge CT imaging. Until the new lab services are available at the Hammer Lane site, Sutter Gould will maintain a lab draw station at 800 Douglas Road.

“I look forward to seeing my patients in this great location,” said Patrick Snyder, M.D., a long-time Stockton physician and member of Gould Medical Group. “And with more of my fellow Gould physicians in the same offices and convenient access to ancillary services, I will be better able to collaborate with them in providing the best care possible to our patients.”

When all the physician moves are completed – by the middle of September – 26 Gould Medical Group doctors and four nurse practitioners will be assisted by more than 100 Sutter Gould staff to provide care for patients. Residents can learn about Gould’s Stockton physicians, as well as the rest of Sutter Gould’s physician network, by visiting thedoctorforyou.com and www.suttergould.org.

"Innovation, technology, and patient convenience and service will continue to reshape health care,” said Patrick Fry, Sutter Health president and CEO. “Sutter Gould Medical Foundation’s Stockton Medical Plaza is a shining example of how our employees and physicians are leading the way in responding to patient needs and bringing comprehensive medical services to communities throughout the North State.”

In addition to the new medical office building, Sutter Gould has care centers in Lodi and Tracy in San Joaquin County, as well as Modesto and many communities throughout Stanislaus County. Sutter Gould is part of Sutter Health, a family of not-for-profit hospitals and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Providing personalized care in more than 100 communities throughout Northern California, the Sutter Health network is a regional leader in cardiac care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, obstetrics, and newborn intensive care, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology.