UC Davis Health eyes 36-acres in Folsom

Expansion is ahead for UC Davis Health services that includes a future location in Folsom. Currently, UC Davis is in contract to purchase a 36-acre site that lies on the southwest corner of East Bidwell Street and the Highway 50 offramp. The health care giant is now reportedly amidst getting the necessary approvals to officially obtain the land and move ahead. The property is part of the planned commercial area south of Highway 50 and at the northern end of Folsom Ranch, a master plan area of 3,500 acres and more than 10,000 homes at build-out.Last week, UC Davis released portions of its planned future expansions, which not only include a multi-billion dollar facility in Folsom but an additional forthcoming site in Rocklin as well. "The need for our services and the demand for our services has outpaced our ability to supply them at our current facilities," said UC Davis Health CEO Dr. David Lubarsky. Lubarksy explained that the future sites in Folsom and Rocklin will be satellite facilities, designed to serve clients with a variety of outpatient services. The additional sites are part of UC Davis' expansion in the Sacramento region, branching off of its downtown facilities where a major expansion known as its California Tower will be completed. "That (California Tower) will be up and the first patient will be there in 2030 when the seismic regulations hit," Lubarsky said. "That will convert every one of our rooms to not only single-patient rooms, a majority of the rooms will be ICU capable and ready."When it comes to UC Davis' future expansion, the pandemic and the challenging response to it in the region were key factors in the decision to grow and become better prepared."The pandemic showed us we shouldn't be shoehorning people into broom closets and thinking we're providing ICU-level care and we don't want to be caught again without the right facilities," Lubarsky said.Lubarsky said the health system's future ambulatory surgery center is likely to open at the main campus in 2024 and the satellite facilities in Folsom and Rocklin will also open around that same timeframe. If all goes as planned, UC Davis Health's site would be across East Bidwell from another medical campus for Dignity Health that announced its expansion last summer. Dignity's expansion will include a medical office building and imaging center, which is set to break ground next year. This is a developing story that the Folsom Telegraph will continue to follow and update as details become available.