Care Continuum: San Joaquin County’s Collaborative Healthcare Future

iStock/Caiaimage/Robert Daly

San Joaquin County boasts a growing, thriving health care community where providers work together to offer high-quality services to those who proudly call this place home. 

“Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center has a 125-year legacy and history here in Stockton,” says David Ziolkowski, who was named president and CEO of the hospital in early 2025. “Beyond that, it’s an amazing culture. It’s what I call a unicorn in the health care industry. There’s true caring for our patients and a true commitment to the community that I could feel from day one.” 

Training New Physicians: How Dignity Health St. Joseph’s is Addressing Workforce Shortages

Ziolkowski says he jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this organization. “For instance, our graduate medical education program is growing quickly and will soon have over 300 residents and fellows. For a community hospital in a non-urban area, that is unique. I give credit to the leaders before me who have grown this program to the point that this past June, we graduated roughly 50 new physicians into the workforce.” 

He says many of those have opted to stay in the area in roles ranging from the emergency room to the anesthesia department to the operating room. 

“Our latest incoming class had almost 100 residents and fellows,” Ziolkowski says. “That number is going to continue to grow. In a time of physician shortages, especially in underserved and rural communities, it is really heartwarming to be part of this process, not only helping our organization and our community, but more broadly, our region.” 

Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Medical Center

Growing Access to Care: The $600M Campus Project

St. Joseph’s is also undertaking a five-year campus expansion project, investing $600 to $700 million in a new tower that will add 120 medical-surgical and telemetry beds across four floors, 24 intensive care unit beds and 10 new operating rooms. 

“One of the most exciting parts of the project is the brand-new emergency room we’re building that will expand our capacity by 40% to 50%,” Ziolkowski says. “We know the emergency room is often the front door for care for many of our community members, so now they will have a brand-new, state-of-the-art emergency room. We are excited about the positive impact it will have on the community.” 

Ziolkowski says the medical community here, particularly what he calls the physician ecosystem, is very tight-knit and supportive. “We work together in serving what is sometimes an underserved population, and we take great pride in it. It’s who we are. We work collaboratively with all the hospitals and the Health Plan of San Joaquin. It’s a refreshing environment that I appreciate being a part of.” 

Courtesy of Adventist Health

Collaborators Abound: A Network of Hospitals and Services

Within that collaborative environment is an array of other health care organizations. Dameron Hospital is a nonprofit community hospital with multiple quality designations across programs, from cardiac to stroke care. San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp now offers a multitude of services, including a Level II trauma center and a Level III NICU. Adventist Health Lodi Memorial includes a hospital, a cancer care center, and imaging and surgery centers. 

Sutter Health and Kaiser Permanente have multiple locations across the region offering a range of primary and specialty services, and Doctors Hospital of Manteca also provides care close to home. San Joaquin County has broken ground on the SJ BeWell Campus, which will offer behavioral health services. 

A Great Place to Be 

Beyond the health care community, Ziolkowski says Stockton is a great place to be. 

“I’ve enjoyed the close-knit community and experienced a lot of pride because Stockton itself has an amazing legacy,” he says. “It’s played a vital role in the region’s economic development, from manufacturing to agriculture to the port.” 

He says he tells colleagues and other professionals considering a move here that, beyond Stockton itself, there’s the proximity to other Northern California resources. 

“Whether you’re going to San Francisco or Monterey and the coastal area, or to Lake Tahoe or Napa wine country, you can drive in almost any direction and end up in a truly special place. I’ve not found it difficult to recruit people here. 

“I’m humbled to lead this organization,” he says. “I think our future is really bright here. I know we can continue to build off where we are now and really expand and accelerate the successes to have an even greater positive impact on the community. As remarkable as this organization is, there’s so much more we can continue to do.”

Courtesy of Healthforce Partners

HealthForce Partners California: Developing the Future Workforce

HealthForce Partners California began in 2018 as a sponsored initiative of United Way of San Joaquin County, charged with developing and strengthening the regional health care workforce. In just a few short years, this effort has expanded across multiple regions of the state and now functions as an independent nonprofit. 

Among its successful initiatives: 

• Behavioral Health Workforce Partnership is addressing critical shortages in behavioral health professionals and creating career opportunities for local residents. 
• Helping Our People Elevate (HOPE) Program for Nursing is working to address the nursing shortage through education and employer collaboration. 
• Health Professions Pathways Program is supporting underrepresented students pursuing health care careers through a $1.7 million grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information. 
• NextGen MedPros is expanding awareness and access to diverse health care careers for high school students in Modesto City Schools. 
• Allied Health Programs is developing and expanding fast-track training programs and incentives for aspiring health care professionals. 
• Resources include a region-wide online data tool with insights into workforce needs. 

“HealthForce Partners California was built on the idea that collaboration can solve even the toughest workforce challenges,” says Dr. Paul Lanning, CEO. “In just a few years, we’ve proven what’s possible when employers, educators and community partners work together. Now, as an independent nonprofit, we’re ready to take that model further – expanding our reach, scaling our programs and ensuring that more Californians can access meaningful careers in health care. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, and even more excited about where we’re headed.”