Golden Valley Health Centers held a grand opening celebration for its new Stockton Community Health Complex on Thursday, Aug. 6.
The health center celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony, mariachi and Mexican treats, at 848 E. Hammer Lane. The Stockton campus will be home to the Central Valley PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) and will provide coordinated medical and support services for those eligible.
"Today we're not only opening doors to a new space, we are opening doors to access, dignity, trust and opportunity," said David Quackenbush, president and CEO of Golden Valley Health Centers.
The center will open in late summer with the Central Valley PACE and urgent care. The pharmacy and radiology services portions are expected
to open in late 2027.
Golden Valley Health Centers invested $15 million in the center, Quackenbush said.
Quackenbush said that when the center is fully operational it will have a staff of 200, creating 200 jobs with a good salary, benefits and a retirement plan.
"The PACE program will serve 400 participants and the clinical facilities will serve thousands on a monthly basis," he added.
Those in attendence included U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, a representetive of the office of California State Senator Jerry McNerney, San Joaquin County Supervisor Paul Canepa, Stockton councilmember Michael Blower, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce CEO Timm Quinn, and a member of the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
"Most of our seniors want to be living at home in dignity, but they have real health care complications. They lack maybe transportation. They have a whole plethora of doctors that they have to manage different appointments and medications. It can be absolutely confusing," Harder said during the ceremony. "That's why PACE is a one-stop shop for the seniors that are the most vulnerable across our community. It's good for everybody. Most importantly, it's good for those patients that are able to achieve world-class healthcare in one place, in one stop."
During the ceremony, Quackenbush announced within a year, they will have another primary care, urgent care and a continuity clinic as part of the St. Joseph's Medical Center Family Residency Program.
Golden Valley Health Centers also has a location in Manteca.
What is Golden Valley Health Centers?
Golden Valley Health Centers was founded in 1972 by Mike Sullivanas, as a "small Migrant Health Services program connected to Merced General Hospital," according to the Golden Valley Health Centers website.
It is one of the largest qualified health centers in the Golden State. It provides medical, dental, behavioral health and specialty services to families across the Central Valley. Other services at Golden Valley Health Centers include pediatrics, optometry, podiatry, women's health, chiropractic and family practice.
"PACE is just for seniors. Everything else in the building is for anybody," Quackenbush said. "We specialize in taking care of low-income, Medi-Cal families."
Quackenbush said a year ago they held their groundbreaking for the center.
In 2020, Golden Valley Health Centers opened its first PACE program in Modesto and in 2024, they opened one in Merced, Quackenbush said. This is the first time that Golden Valley Health Centers has been in Stockton.
"Golden Valley Health Centers is excited to be in Stockton and we're open for business for low-income families," Quackenbush said.
To learn more about Golden Valley Health Centers, visit gvhc.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 Stockton health complex to expand care for low-income families, seniors
