Sutter Health continued its effort to bring state-of-the-art care to Northern San Joaquin Valley communities Thursday by breaking ground on a two-story 40,000 square-foot medical facility in River Islands at Lathrop.

It is part of an ambitious overall regional expansion that Amber Campbell, CEO of Ambulatory Services of Sutter Health’s Greater Central Valley Division, described as “providing connection to communities.”

The initiative is designed for Sutter Health members not only to access quality state-of-the-art health care in their communities but provide specialty services to reduce the need to travel out of the region to the Bay Area or Sacramento.

It includes a $350 million Modesto Cancer Center featuring other specialty care as well targeted to break ground next month and open in 2029

Among the other Sutter Health endeavors are:

*A Lathrop urgent care in the Target Center now being prepped for a June 2026 opening. When work is complete, the urgent care center will be open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends.

*Manteca Care Center North (165 Saint Dominics Drive) was updated and expanded in September to include behavioral health, pulmonology and weight management care services.

*Manteca Care Center South (1026 Lifestyle St.) opened in February and includes primary care, women’s health, general surgery, orthopedics, diagnostic imaging and lab services

Dr. Joseph Chiang, chief medical executive for Sutter Health’s Greater Central Valley Division, noted the new River Islands care center “is not just a building, it’s an integrated model” in reference to services that will be under one roof.

The new center will support 18 full-time providers and feature 38 exam rooms for family and internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, orthopedics and podiatry, cardiology and behavioral health needs.

 Lab and advanced imaging services, including those for CT and MRI, will also be available for added convenience.

“Enhanced front-door access” will help more patients establish ongoing relationships with Sutter providers and encourage those who previously sought care outside the system to return for services closer to home.

River Islands CEO Susan Dell’Osso noted the Sutter Health facility will be a vibrant part of the first of three villages centers planned as part of the 15,001-home planned community that is roughly at the 20 percent growth in terms of being developed.

It will be located on Somerston Parkway off of River Island north of the welcome center.

The community’s first grocery store is expected to break ground next year to the south of the Sutter Health site.

The care center is also next to the Redwood Café’s new home backing up the river levee.

Also next to the medical facility will be 3,400-seat River Islands Amphitheatre.

Lathrop Mayor Paul Akinjo praised Sutter Health noting that quality care is essential for a growing community.

“We continue to answer the call as demand grows for our high-quality care services,” Campbell said. “

As a not-for-profit health system, Sutter Health is committed to expanding access to physicians and services across Northern California.

This includes communities long served by Gould Medical Group and Sutter Gould Medical Foundation, as well as new and growing cities.  

In 2025 alone, Sutter has opened new care centers in Lodi, Manteca, Modesto, Tracy and Turlock — each designed to meet community needs and deliver easier access to high-quality care.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com