History

Martinez VA Medical Center

On August 9,1991, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the emergency closure of its medical center in Martinez, California, because of concerns about the facility’s safety in the event of a major earthquake. The Martinez medical center was a 369bed, full-service hospital offering general and specialized medical care to over 400,000 veterans in northern California In fiscal year 1991, the medical center had an average daily census of 236 hospital inpatients and provided about 100,000 outpatient visits. Although the medical center served Veterans from much of northern California, most of the Veterans served came from the East Bay (Oakland/Martinez) and Sacramento areas, which are about 70 miles apart.

As it closed the Martinez medical center, VA announced that rather than repair the facility, it would build a replacement facility on the campus of the University of California at Davis.

In March 1992, however, VA informed the Congress that it would reevaluate its decision to move to Davis. The options considered in the reevaluation included constructing a medical center in Davis, entering into a joint venture with the Air Force to add on to the David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, California, constructing a VA medical center in Sacramento, and renovating the Martinez medical center. 

Sacramento VA Medical Center

After closure of Mather Air Force Base in 1993, the base hospital has been converted into an administrative building and outpatient clinic, adjacent to a $48 million five-story hospital completed in 2002. Both are part of the bustling Sacramento Veterans' Affairs Medical Center at Mather - operated by the federal government on land located within the city limits of Rancho Cordova -- a city incorporated years after the former base closed. Some 1,250-1,300 veterans from throughout Northern California visit the Medical Center every day for medical, surgical, mental health and diagnostic services. The complex includes a 60-bed hospital, which provided inpatient care to an average of 49 patients per day during the 2010 fiscal year. The Medical Center is one of Mather's biggest employers, with close to 1,000 workers.

Sierra Foothills VA Clinic

In an effort to improve access and reduce travel for its Veterans, the Sierra Foothills VA Clinic, in Auburn, California, joined the VA Northern California Health Care System, based near Sacramento,  on October 1, 2019. 

In the past, the Auburn clinic operated as part of VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, based in Reno, Nevada. The distance between the Auburn clinic and its parent medical center in Reno has proved difficult for some Veterans and VA support personnel based in Reno, especially during winter road closures across the Sierra Nevada Mountains.