Sutter Davis Hospital's history began more than 50 years ago as a small rural facility nestled in the cornfields on Road 99, northwest of Davis.
How It All Began
The hospital's history dates back to 1964 when two businessmen/developers (Caylor and Sullivan) secured donated land to build a hospital to serve the community's needs. Their intent was to establish the hospital as the anchor for a large residential and commercial development surrounding it. Caylor and Sullivan owned approximately 85 percent of the stock of Binning Memorial Community Hospital; the balance of the stock is believed to have been owned by several local physicians.
In late 1965, with construction of the facility approximately three-fourths complete, Binning Memorial Community Hospital, Inc., on the brink of bankruptcy, sold the facility to James T. Ralph, Ph.D., and Mary Ralph with partners Frank and Clifford Bennett and Lee Lowry, all of Sacramento. Construction was completed with considerable difficulty in view of a change in contractor and the fact that the site had been dormant for 12 to 18 months. The 31,000-square-foot hospital was finally opened in 1968.
In April 1975, Davis Community Hospital (as it was then called) was taken over under a management contract with California Health Services, owned by Harvey Glasser, M.D. The management contract remained in force for only four months until Dr. Glasser made a full purchase of the facility. During the six years that Dr. Glasser owned Davis Community Hospital, some improvements were made to the physical plant:
- 3,000-square-foot steel frame prefabricated structure east of the hospital for corporate offices and a family practice clinic.
- Licensing of the four-bed intensive care unit with associated physical plant upgrades.
- The purchase of a variety of clinical equipment.
Sutter Health purchased the facility in 1981. The hospital became a not-for-profit facility and was christened Sutter Davis Hospital. Significant investments in equipment and staffing resulted in major shifts in physician and community loyalty to the facility.
In 1987, a community-supported campaign raised more than $100,000 to help build a new emergency department, which opened in early 1988. This new state-of-the-art facility provided more than 3,000 square feet of increased floor space for the hospital with a separate ambulance entrance.
With the populations of its four-community, two-county service area expanding, Sutter Davis entered a new chapter in its history. A survey conducted among approximately 125 community leaders and physicians indicated strong support for a new $19 million medical campus. A capital campaign further strengthened and diversified the project's financial base. The hospital broke ground on the replacement facility in April 1993 and moved into its new 90,000-square-foot building in September 1994, at the corner of Covell Boulevard and Sutter Place near Highway 113.
Our Employees
"I could not possibly, anywhere, have had more gentle, efficient, kind and considerate care than I received from Sutter Davis personnel.” — Sutter Davis patient
State-of-the-art medical technology is essential for accurate diagnosis and quick treatment. But at Sutter Davis, employees provide so much more. A gentle touch, a friendly smile and a comforting word are just a few of the ways Sutter Davis staff show they care about their patients and visitors.
In 1973, the hospital had 80 employees, which included six people in lab and X-ray, three in dietary capacities and nine in other miscellaneous positions. Most of the remainder were nurses and nursing attendants. Currently, the hospital has more than 500 employees, making it one of Davis' largest private employers.
Community service has also been a long-standing tradition, and Sutter Davis Hospital employees continue to extend that caring and compassionate spirit beyond the hospital walls. Community outreach programs, health screenings and contributions to community projects are just some examples of the extended "family" our employees have created. True caring and community involvement was exhibited once again during the floods of 1997 when several hospital employees volunteered their time.
Our Doctors
More than 400 doctors and advanced practice clinicians (APC) have privileges at Sutter Davis Hospital. This includes local community doctors in private practices as well medical group physicians. Sutter Medical Group, a Sutter Health affiliate and contracted provider for Sutter Medical Foundation, provides primary care and specialty care clinicians with locations in Davis, Dixon, Winters, Woodland and West Sacramento.
Sutter Medical Group’s clinic locations on the Sutter Davis campus in the Sutter Medical Plaza provide a full spectrum of medical care and offer convenient extended hours. Sutter Medical Group also provides hospitalists, anesthesiologists and radiologists at Sutter Davis Hospital. Vituity, formerly known as CEP America, provides the emergency medicine doctor and APC staffing and management in the Sutter Davis Hospital emergency department.
Special Surroundings
Sutter Davis' emphasis on serving the needs of the patient and family is reflected in the design of the hospital. All patient rooms are private, providing each patient with a view of the outdoors. The hospital campus is in an open countryside setting, next to fields where birds and other wildlife thrive. Landscaped gardens and courtyards surrounding the hospital provide a healing environment for both body and mind.
The Spirit of Excellence
Thank you to each employee, doctor and volunteer for helping Sutter Davis Hospital achieve what we are today—a hospital that truly lives its "Culture of Caring."