Modesto hospital will expand again. Almost $190 million approved for new project. Updated November 2, 2026 5:45 PM Gift Article Sutter Health announced an expansion of its Memorial Medical Center campus in Modesto, with plans to begin construction in 2028. The Sacramento-based health system said $189 million was approved for the project's first phase. The sixth and seventh floors of the hospital's North Tower will be activated for inpatient care, according to a Sutter news release Monday. The two floors have been shelled in since the North Tower was constructed in 2008. The hospital will add 56 beds in two medical and telemetry units on the sixth floor. The seventh floor will house a 20-bed neonatal intensive care unit and 36 maternity beds for mothers after they have given birth. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed in spring 2030. Sutter plans additional expansion of patient care areas as there is demand for hospital services. It represents another Sutter investment in the Modesto hospital at Briggsmore Avenue and Coffee Road. In a $380 million project, Sutter has been building a four-story cancer treatment center next to the hospital. That center is expected to open in 2029. "Today, more patients than ever rely on our hospital for specialized and advanced care close to home," Tracy Roman, chief executive officer of Memorial, said in the news release. "The project allows us to take advantage of space that was purposely built for future needs. As our community continues to grow, this investment helps our medical center meet increasing demand while continuing to provide high-quality care." This story was originally published November 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM. Health & Fitness July 18, 2026 7:00 AM Health & Fitness July 22, 2026 4:00 PM The Modesto Bee Ken Carlson covers county government and health care for The Modesto Bee. His coverage of public health, medicine, consumer health issues and the business of health care has appeared in The Bee for 15 years.

Red tape: Sutter Health pulls plug on $1 bill hospital in Emeryville. Sutter Health said Friday it was no longer going to pursue building a hospital in Emeryville saying California's Environmental Review law has caused too much red tape. In a Oct 30 statement: "Sutter Health has decided not to pursue a hospital on its current Emeryville property. The most significant barrier was the lack of a clear and predictable regulatory path. Over two years, we pursued relief under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. Those efforts did not secure the certainty needed to advance the hospital project, leaving it vulnerable to litigation that could delay construction and new hospital services for years." "Instead, we will advance plans for comprehensive outpatient care in Emeryville, including primary and specialty care, diagnostic services and outpatient surgery, while evaluating alternative East Bay locations for a future hospital. Separating these projects keeps healthcare investment moving and allows us to advance additional outpatient services that can bring care to patients sooner. No alternative location has been selected, and we are assessing several options that can support comprehensive hospital, emergency and specialty care and the infrastructure needed for the future. - Full Statement. They said there is no immediate change to patient care or services at Alta Bates. "The legal and regulatory challenges extend beyond this project. California hospitals face significant seismic deadlines, while efforts to modernize or replace facilities can be exposed to lengthy regulatory reviews and litigation. A different location alone will not resolve these challenges. We will continue working with state leaders on solutions, including consideration of a full CEQA exemption, that protect access to care and provide a clearer path for essential healthcare investment," the statement added. SUTTER ABANDONS EAST BAY RESIDENTS, JEOPARDIZING HEALTH AND SAFETY Decision, coupled with planned closure of Alta Bates, threatens emergency response times and access to critical health care across the East Bay OAKLAND, CA - Today, Sutter Health announced it is abandoning plans to build a new acute-care hospital in Emeryville. With Sutter also planning to close Alta Bates in Berkeley, the decision would leave East Bay residents with fewer options for emergency and life-saving care, threatening 911 response times and access to critical health services across the region. Senator Jesse Arreguín, who has fought for more than a decade to preserve hospital services in the East Bay, issued the following statement: "Sutter is walking away from its commitment to build a new hospital in Emeryville, and our communities will pay the price. Closing Alta Bates without a replacement means fewer options for emergency and life-saving care when every minute matters. "Just as it did with Alta Bates, Sutter's explanation for its plans continues to evolve. What has not changed is its failure to be forthright with the communities whose health care hangs in the balance. East Bay residents deserve transparency and a real plan - not shifting explanations for why promised hospital care may disappear. "I am calling on Sutter to choose people over profits. I will not accept leaving the East Bay without the hospital capacity our communities need, and I will keep fighting for a full-service hospital and the critical care East Bay residents deserve." Publisher of ContraCosta.news and host of several Podcast Shows focusing on Contra Costa County and State of California.

State Sen. Arreguín blasts Sutter over 'abandoned' Emeryville hospital plans. October 30, 2026 3 mins read While some North Oakland and Emeryville residents, particularly those living along the 53rd Street corridor, welcomed the decision, State Sen. Jesse Arreguín is criticizing Sutter Health's move to 'abandon' plans for a new hospital in Emeryville. Arreguín warned that the decision, combined with Sutter's proposed closure of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley, could leave East Bay residents with fewer options for emergency and critical care. In a statement released Friday, Arreguín pointed to his more than decade-long effort to preserve hospital services in the East Bay as he criticized Sutter's decision. He accused the health system of walking away from its commitment to the region and failing to be transparent about its plans for local health care. "Sutter is walking away from its commitment to build a new hospital in Emeryville, and our communities will pay the price," Arreguín said. "Closing Alta Bates without a replacement means fewer options for emergency and life-saving care when every minute matters." Sutter announced Friday, Oct. 30 that it would no longer pursue a hospital at its Emeryville property, citing uncertainty surrounding the regulatory approval process and the potential for years of litigation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Instead, the health system plans to move forward with outpatient medical services in Emeryville while evaluating alternative locations elsewhere in the East Bay for a future hospital. Arreguín represents California's 7th Senate District, which includes the cities of Emeryville, Albany, Piedmont, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Pinole and Hercules, as well as parts of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda and Richmond. Arreguín was an enthusiastic supporter when Sutter first announced the Emeryville hospital plans in February 2025. At the time, he praised the health system's commitment to expanding East Bay health care, saying the proposed medical center would bring "much-needed primary, specialty, and advanced care closer to home." In his statement, he also questioned Sutter's shifting explanations for its plans, comparing the latest announcement to the health system's earlier efforts to close Alta Bates. "What has not changed is its failure to be forthright with the communities whose health care hangs in the balance," he said. "East Bay residents deserve transparency and a real plan - not shifting explanations for why promised hospital care may disappear." Arreguín made no mention of the growing community opposition to the project or the threat of CEQA litigation, which Sutter cited as the primary reasons for abandoning the hospital component of its proposed development. Emeryville Mayor responds to withdrawal. Emeryville Mayor Sukhdeep Kaur said Sutter's decision addresses concerns many residents raised about the project's scale and potential impacts on the city. "Sutter Health's decision to withdraw its proposed 17-story hospital comes as a relief to many Emeryville residents who expressed significant concerns about the project's unprecedented scale and potential impacts on our small city," Kaur said. Kaur also pointed to the July 21, 2026, City Council study session, where residents raised concerns about traffic, neighborhood safety, emergency access, helicopter operations and quality of life. While emphasizing the importance of hospital and emergency services to the region, she said responsible development must respect the needs and character of the surrounding community. "I welcome Sutter Health's continued commitment to expanding outpatient healthcare services in Emeryville, but any revised proposal must undergo the City's applicable public review and approval processes," Kaur said. She also urged Sutter to "engage early and meaningfully" with residents and community stakeholders, address their concerns and work toward a thoughtfully scaled project that provides tangible community benefits. The announcement was met with enthusiasm among some of the project's most vocal neighborhood opponents. Members of the Neighbors United group celebrated the withdrawal in a Google Group dedicated to communication about the project. "Congrats to everyone for all your diligence and hard work!" one commenter wrote. "I'm giddy with joy," another replied in a discussion thread announcing the withdrawal. While attendees at public meetings generally opposed the project, online discussions on Reddit, Instagram and its website were more evenly divided. Supporters frequently attributed the opposition to NIMBYism and questioned why anyone would oppose bringing a hospital to the area. Future of Alta Bates remains uncertain. Sutter's plans to close Alta Bates date back to 2016, when it first proposed consolidating inpatient and emergency services at its Oakland Summit campus, citing seismic safety requirements. Under California's seismic safety requirements, acute-care hospitals must be able to remain operational following a major earthquake by Jan. 1, 2030. Sutter has said it plans to close Alta Bates' inpatient and emergency services before that deadline, arguing that bringing the Berkeley facility into compliance would be prohibitively expensive. Sutter also argued that the regulatory challenges extend beyond Emeryville, pointing to the difficulty California hospitals face in modernizing or replacing facilities while meeting seismic deadlines. The health system said it will continue working with state leaders on solutions, including consideration of a full CEQA exemption for hospital projects. Arreguín called on Sutter to reconsider its decision and commit to maintaining a full-service hospital in the region. "I am calling on Sutter to choose people over profits. I will not accept leaving the East Bay without the hospital capacity our communities need, and I will keep fighting for a full-service hospital and the critical care East Bay residents deserve," he said.