A History of Success for the Del Puerto Health Care District

Irrigator Series Part 4 of 5 on Del Puerto Health Care District

The original Patterson Irrigator article can be found here

By: Timothy Benefield. Sr.

Aug 8, 2024

This week we are going to look back over the highlights of success in the 78-year history of the Del Puerto Health Care District.

The concept of a special district to meet the healthcare needs of the rural area of Patterson was presented to the County Board of Supervisors in March of 1946. On July 12, 1946, the founding board of directors for this “hospital district” was appointed by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. The first directors included Stanley Cox, John Soares, Paul Arambel, Gus Peterson, and Albert Bevis. They were commissioned with the task of ensuring quality and accessible healthcare for the citizens in the district.  

The district was originally called the Patterson Hospital District and the newly-appointed board set out immediately to provide funding and infrastructure for a hospital in Patterson. A 20-cent tax levy from general tax revenues funded the purchase of a five-acre alfalfa field on Ninth and E streets for $5,000. This was the proposed site for a future hospital. Just two years after the formation of the board, the local voters overwhelmingly voted (684 to 17) to fund the hospital through a bond measure. In just two more years, the Memorial Hospital (so named to honor the local war dead from the recently concluded World War II) was dedicated.

Eight years later in 1958, the district determined to fund full-time ambulance service for Patterson and the surrounding West Side. An agreement was made with Kenneth Riggs of Modesto to provide this service for a whopping $75 per month. The decision to fund full-time ambulance service was a move by the board to indicate their enduring commitment to emergency care for its rural residents.

By its tenth anniversary the hospital, now named Del Puerto Hospital, boasted the birth of 1,832 babies and over 9,000 patients admitted. It was now 1960 and the annual operating budget of the hospital was $200,850. The hospital was funded by revenue from services provided and by three cents of a 10-cent tax rate.

While the district would take ownership and control of the ambulance service in 1976, the Memorial Hospital of Modesto subcontracted with the district and operated the ambulance service from 1981-1985. As it began running at a significant financial loss, the board took up consideration of a tax to help fund the service. In 1984, the board authored and proposed Measure E which would impose a special property tax to fund the ambulance service. While the measure received a strong majority of the vote in the November election, it barely failed to receive the necessary two-thirds vote needed to pass the measure. Two months later, Memorial Hospital of Modesto chose not to renew its contract to provide ambulance service in Patterson due to the projected losses.

Faced with a failed tax measure and an unrenewed contract, the board of directors began considering a number of proposals to maintain round-the-clock ambulance service in Patterson. In June of 1985, a special election was held with Measure A proposing a tax override (which eliminated the annual “escalator” found in the rejected Measure E) to fund a local ambulance service that would eventually be provided by the district itself. This time, the measure was approved by an overwhelming vote of 83.8%. Measure A implemented a special tax of $27 per house which has not been increased since 1985! During this same time frame, the directors also approved the purchase of an $85,000 computer system that would provide hardware and hospital software. With these decisions, the board continued to make clear that emergency care was a priority to the district.

In 1998, the hospital was forced to close due to a number of factors including financial challenges, doctor shortages, and the restructuring of medical insurance networks. It was at this time that the Patterson Hospital District was renamed the Del Puerto Health Care District. The district remained committed to providing a quality full-time ambulance service and began searching for new ways to provide quality health care in the district.

A new standard in comprehensive healthcare was realized in the district with the dedication of the Del Puerto Health Center in 2003. Since its move to the location at 1700 Keystone Pacific Parkway in 2012, the center has blossomed into a hub of medical excellence. A dedicated team of professionals offers an ever-expanding array of services to a diverse and growing population. Patterson District Ambulance provides service that is the envy of the West Side as it delivers emergency medical services and transportation. The DPHCD also sponsored the City of Patterson’s Fire Department Advanced Life Support (ALS) program which currently continues to operate under the clinical and quality guidance of Patterson District Ambulance.

The return of a hospital to Patterson is certainly the ultimate goal of the Board of Directors, the CEO, and the managing staff. Due to a vastly different healthcare landscape from 1946, a challenging financial environment, and major shifts in medical insurance infrastructure, a future hospital will face numerous challenges and hurdles.

Until the time such a return is possible, the citizens of the Del Puerto Health Care District can rest assured that the DPHCD is dedicated to providing quality healthcare and reliable emergency care to every household in the district. The medical team at the Del Puerto Health Center offers excellent care for your regular medical needs. The multiple round-the-clock teams at Patterson District Ambulance provide 24-hour urgent care for your emergencies. You can feel safe and cared for in the city of Patterson!

In our final installment of this series, we will look at several of the current and future projects of the DPHCD. Please join us for this final article. You will see that the future of healthcare is bright in the Del Puerto Health Care District!