Sutter Gould Medical Foundation
to Open New Pediatric and Adolescent
Care Center in Modesto

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MODESTO – March 23, 2009 – Sutter Gould Medical Foundation (SGMF) announced today that staff will begin seeing patients in a newly renovated Pediatric and Adolescent Care Center, at 1144 Coffee Road, beginning March 30, 2009.

For several years, the 1144 Coffee Road site housed Gould’s internal medicine, nephrology and mental health providers. But as part of a larger project – the new 600 Coffee Road clinic – SGMF officials reorganized the care centers, bringing the internal medicine physicians to 600 Coffee Road and will now give Gould’s Modesto-based pediatricians a stand-alone site to see Stanislaus County children.

Focus on Children and Teens
“The Pediatric and Adolescent Care Center concept is a perfect fit for our Gould providers,” said James Conforti, chief executive officer for SGMF. “We are able to give our pediatricians a facility totally geared toward caring for their patients, such as phlebotomists that specialize in working with youth. It’s all part of our continued commitment to provide convenient, quality care to our community.”

The Care Center has been redesigned to include a new child-friendly lobby with a safari décor, where giraffes and zebra murals color the walls. A “tree” surrounded by a bench is in the center of the waiting room. The ceiling is adorned with parachutes, cargo planes and dragonflies providing enhanced lighting for reading books and magazines. A new well-baby room will be available so mothers and their infants can have a separate environment while breastfeeding or waiting for their child’s appointment.

The outside has been improved as well, with new parking just steps from the entrance and enhanced landscaping.

“As physicians, we are very excited about the new facility”, said Dr. Alberto Cajigas, head of the Modesto pediatrics group. “Everything is designed with the patient and family in mind, and we can’t wait to begin seeing our patients there.”

The move will occur beginning March 26, with the first appointments in the new facility on March 30.
While no regular appointments are scheduled for March 26 or 27th, parents with urgent needs on those dates may call their Gould pediatrician’s office at 524-0370 and speak to the pediatric triage nurse. If a sick appointment is deemed necessary for March 26th or 27th, pediatric patients will be seen by a Gould pediatrician in exam rooms at the new 600 Coffee Road clinic. The SGMF Urgent Care Center at 600 Coffee will also be open for patient visits.

Technology a part of the equation – including a paperless medical record
As with all of SGMF’s projects, the care center is equipped with the latest health technology features. EPIC, Sutter Gould’s electronic medical record system, allows Gould physicians to access a patient’s medical record instantly to review lab results, prior physician visits, and prescription histories. The computer resources at the physician’s fingertips also include PACS, a filmless picture archiving and communications system that allows Gould radiologists to share digital images and diagnoses instead of shipping X-ray film between locations.

Commitment to Northern California health care
The Pediatric and Adolescent Care Center is one part of the Sutter Gould’s commitment to improve, replace or build care centers in the Central Valley. In Modesto, for example, Sutter Gould has completely moved into the replacement clinic at their 600 Coffee Road site, after 54 years in the existing building. A Surgery Center and additional medical office building will soon open at the Stockton Medical Plaza site on Hammer Lane.

Sutter Gould Medical Foundation has care centers in Stockton, Lodi and Tracy in San Joaquin County, as well as Modesto and many communities throughout Stanislaus County. SGMF is part of Sutter Health, a family of not-for-profit hospitals and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Providing personalized care in more than 100 communities throughout Northern California, the Sutter Health network is a regional leader in cardiac care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, obstetrics, and newborn intensive care, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology.

Parents may call now to schedule appointments with the pediatricians in their new location. Office visits begin March 30th. Call (209) 524-0370.

An open house is scheduled for May 30, 2009.


# # #