Dignity Health’s St. Joseph’s Medical Center held a groundbreaking ceremony in celebration of the beginning of construction of its new patient tower.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 29 at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, near the Dignity Health Medical Group Stockton. The center, once completed, will be a five-story patient tower, with 144 beds, 120 of them general acute care beds and 24 others as intensive care unit (ICU) beds.
“For 127 years, we’ve served Stockton and the broader community, earning a reputation for delivering the highest quality and safest care, always guided by human kindness,” St. Joseph’s Medical Center CEO David Ziolkowski said. “Each year, we see almost 250,000 patients, and we provide nearly $100 million in community benefit through uncompensated care, outreach and direct support for those in need. This new expansion project is a powerful expression of our commitment to meeting those needs, again, not just today, not now, but in the future for decades to come.”
Ziolkowski described the state-of-the-art patient tower expansion as transformational, reshaping healthcare and mission-driven. The project will include 10 new incremental operating rooms, two helicopter pads, and a new emergency room that will allow for 30 to 40% more capacity.
There will also be a new parking structure with more than 1,300 parking spots.
“It can’t get here soon enough because we know the community desperately needs it,” Ziolkowski told The Record.
The project is expected to be completed in early 2030. The main tower will be called the Cortopassi Tower after the Cortopassi Family Foundation, investors in the project, according to Ziolkowski.
St. Joseph’s history in Stockton
St. Joseph’s Medical Center’s history dates back more than a century.
“When we talk about legacy, none of this would be possible without the tireless dedication, perseverance, of another great partner and founder of ours, the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael,” Ziolkowski said.
Sister Abby Newton, OP, prioress of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, spoke during the ceremony. Newton served at St. Joseph’s for more than 20 years.
Newton said initial planning for the effort began in 2020. Father William O’Connor, the founder of St. Joseph’s, purchased the land for $6,090 in 1894 from Alonzo McCloud in gold coin, she said. She added that he didn’t break ground until March 1899, comparing to the current project’s timeline.
“We are right on time,” she said.
Health care kept local
Julie Sprengel, California President for CommonSpirit Health, said on Wednesday that the population in the San Joaquin Valley has grown by more than 20% since 2010.
“We recognize that this significant growth comes with healthcare needs for this expanding and vibrant community. We knew that we had to expand along with it. This investment is a testament to our belief in the future of this community,” Sprengel said. “In fact, it actually represents the largest commitment of CommonSpirit resources in my 10 years with Dignity Health CommonSpirit, the largest single investment.”
Marty Ardron, senior vice president of System Operations at Kaiser Permanente, said the tower expansion is “a powerful symbol” of the decade-long partnership between Kaiser Permanente and CommonSpirit.
“What we are building is more than just new space,” Ardron said. “We are building greater access to care, we are building capacity to serve more patients and we are building a stronger future for healthcare in Stockton and throughout the San Joaquin County.”
The project “will support approximately 7,000 jobs and $1.6 billion in economic activity” for the region, according to Ziolkowski.
“Stockton, San Joaquin County, and the broader region should not have to travel up to Sacramento or over the hill to receive highly specialized advanced care. We want to keep care local,” he added. “This is an investment, not just in Stockton and healthcare, but it’s really an investment in the broader community. We have a mission to serve, and we serve everybody regardless of their status in life.”
The Most Reverend Myron J. Cotta, Bishop of Stockton, blessed the dirt for the project toward the end of the ceremony.
“We ask you to bless this groundbreaking and bless this soil. May it remind us that what it has established in faith can grow far beyond what we first imagined,” Cotta said. “May this ceremony express the continuity of mission, past and present, joined together, a foundation strengthened not only by concrete and steel, but by service, sacrifice and trust in you.”
To learn more about Dignity Health’s St. Joseph’s Medical Center, visit dignityhealth.org.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers business and community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: New St. Joseph’s Medical Center tower aims to boost care in Stockton
Reporting by Angelaydet Rocha, The Stockton Record / The Record
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