Our History
Sutter Davis Hospital

FROM THE CORNFIELDS TO COVELL
Sutter Davis Hospital's history began over 30 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) were able to secure 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% 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 plant/site had been dormant for 12-18 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; for the first time 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 over $100,000 to help build a new emergency department, which opened in early 1988. This new state-of-the-art facility provided over 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.

THE EMPLOYEES
"I could not possibly, anywhere, have had more gently, efficient, kind and considerate care than I received from Sutter Davis personnel..." quoted by a former patient.

State-of-the-art medical technology is essential for accurate diagnosis and quick treatment. But at Sutter Davis, employees provide more than the best available equipment. 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, it is recorded that the hospital had 80 employees which included six people in lab and x-ray, three in dietary capacities and nine in other miscellaneous capacities. Most of the remainder were nurses and nursing attendants. The facility was utilized by about 36 physicians.

Currently, the hospital has about 380 employees, making it one of Davis' largest private employers. More than 250 physicians now have privileges at Sutter Davis.

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 recently during the floods of 1997 when several hospital employees volunteered their time.

MEDICAL OFFICES
Sutter West Medical Group. Many primary care and specialty care physicians with Sutter West Medical Group are located in the Sutter Medical Plaza, across a courtyard from the hospital, providing patients with convenient access to the services provided at Sutter Davis Hospital. The medical group also provides After Hours Care to their patients at this facility.

Sutter West Medical Group, a contracted provider of Sutter Medical Foundation, includes primary care and specialty physicians with practice locations in Davis, Dixon, Winters, Woodland and West Sacramento. The medical group had 39 original members when it was formed in November 1994 and has now grown to 54 members as they celebrate their 5th anniversary this year. Sutter West also contracts with over 80 specialists who provide a complete spectrum of medical care and accepts most health plans. To learn more about Sutter West Medical Group physicians and services, please call the Patient Advocate Service at 1-800-866-7724.

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 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, physician and volunteer for helping Sutter Davis Hospital to achieve what we are today… a hospital with the personal touch.


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