UC Davis Health plans major medical expansion, housing development in fast-growing Folsom

UC Davis Health announced Wednesday that it is planning a micro-hospital, ambulatory surgery center, outpatient medical office building and hotel on a 34.5-acre site in Folsom.

The health system also reported that it is partnering with AKT Development Corp. and Angelo K. Tsakopoulos to develop a high-technology residential development near the medical campus it plans at the intersection of East Bidwell Street and Highway 50.

Dr. David Lubarsky, chief executive officer of UCD Health, said the residential development will be a “community for health and independence,” a neighborhood designed with technology that allows older people and people with disabilities to live independently.

“While we are thrilled about our medical facility expansion here in Folsom, we know that the key to healthy aging for people starts in their homes,” Lubarsky added. “We believe a reimagined community that leverages technology for human-made spaces where people live, recreate and work will promote better management of chronic disease and increase independence for valuable members of this population.”

He noted that Tsakapoulos had supported the creation of the MIND Institute at UCD Health and that scientists and physicians at that facility produce leading worldwide research on neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Dr. Thomas S. Nesbitt, a UC Davis Health professor emeritus and co-champion of the Healthy Aging in a Digital World initiative, said: “With the expected population growth of older adults in the Folsom area and our goal of ensuring that we can meet patients wherever they are, we are confident the combination of our new campus and this new development will keep people healthier, in their own community, for much longer.”

Construction of the UCD medical campus will occur in stages, with the outpatient clinic scheduled to open in 2025. The project also will include a micro-hospital, facilities that health industry experts say are becoming increasingly common as consumers demand convenience. Operating 24 hours a day, these small-scale facilities provide a wide range of medical services.

The UCD Health announcement comes a little more than one year after Dignity Health announced it had purchased a 30-acre site in Folsom where it will build a larger hospital to replace its current Mercy Hospital in the city.

University officials noted that U.S. census data shows that Folsom is growing at a rate of roughly 3% annually and that its population reached a new high of 86,300 this year, according to census data. In addition, nearby El Dorado County saw the state’s largest increase in adults aged 65 and over at 58%.