SANTA CLARA — Sutter Health intends to build an ultramodern hospital that would sprout on a Santa Clara site that will enable the healthcare giant to deliver a widening array of services to patients in the region.
The new medical center is expected to be eight stories and total 850,000 square feet, Warner Thomas, Sutter Health’s chief executive officer and president, said on Monday.
The hospital and Sutter Health’s other endeavors in Santa Clara represent a $2.8 billion investment, the largest ever undertaken by the healthcare organization. These new projects are occurring at sites known as the Sutter East and West Care Centers in Santa Clara.
The new hospital will be a “medical destination” when it opens in 2031, Sutter Health officials said.
“This is a big swing and a big bet,” Thomas said during a presentation on Monday.
The medical center is slated to be built on a 13.6-acre site near Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Once completed, the new hospital will feature 272 licensed beds in private patient rooms. Sutter Health intends to configure the medical center so it can add 40 more beds to meet future demand.
“This will really be the digital hospital of the future,” Thomas said.
The hospital will also feature a full-service emergency department, labor and delivery suites, a new neonatal intensive care unit, advanced operating rooms and surgical services, a rooftop helipad, and access for community physicians.
Sutter Health also expects to build on an existing significant physician presence through the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group.
“As part of our vision to create a dual-campus medical destination in Santa Clara, this investment expands access, advances clinical excellence and strengthens the coordinated experience for patients and families across the region,” Thomas said.
The new Sutter facilities on the west and east campus, including the new hospital, are expected to support more than 5,000 jobs once the care sites fully open by 2031. These include 3,000 direct Sutter employee and clinician positions, according to an independent analysis by EY, the professional services titan.
During the development stage, the project is expected to support more than 2,500 construction jobs, along with roles for suppliers and other associated workers, Sutter Health estimated.
Two existing office buildings at 2831 and 2841 Mission College Blvd. in Santa Clara are slated to be bulldozed to clear the way for the new medical center.
The development and construction phases are expected to produce $3.3 billion in economic impact, according to Sutter Health.
In October, Sutter Health opened the first of its new medical buildings within the two Santa Clara healthcare complexes.
Plans for the future hospital are emerging at a crucial time for the South Bay healthcare sector, in the view of Dr. Kurt VandeVort, chief executive officer of Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group.
“As Silicon Valley’s population continues to grow and age, the need for timely access to nationally recognized, high-quality coordinated care has never been greater,” VandeVort said.