Why this matters
In 2023, nearly 1 in 4 residents living in San Diego County’s southern region reported not having a usual place to go when sick or in need of health advice.
Anyone looking to see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, dentist or more can get it all in one spot at a new clinic that just opened in National City.
San Ysidro Health, a nonprofit healthcare network spread across 50 clinic and program sites in San Diego County, on Saturday celebrated the opening of its Macias Family Health Center, a two-story, 44,000-square-foot facility meant to serve patients at a higher capacity.
Nearly 300 health care employees, elected officials, community members and local leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new clinic at 601 E. 14th St.
On the first floor, the clinic houses its program focused on older adults known as the San Diego PACE or Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly. The program provides medical, dental, behavioral health services, occupational and physical therapy, senior activities, meals, pharmacy services, radiology, diagnostic laboratory services, social services and transportation support.
On the second floor, the clinic runs its Federally Qualified Health Center, which offers medical, dental and “expanded behavioral health services for individuals and families,” according to the network.
The clinic also has three levels of underground parking.
San Ysidro President and CEO Kevin Mattson said San Ysidro Health began preparing more than a decade ago for what’s commonly known as the “silver tsunami” — baby boomers’ impact on health care services and others as they age.
“We needed to be prepared to take care of our seniors and do a better job taking care of our seniors,” Mattson told inewsource.
Mattson also pointed to the obstacle of referring patients to multiple sites. He said he hopes that housing many services in one place, increasing staff and using artificial intelligence for the organization’s call center can help lag times.
“We know how hard it is and how long it takes to get certain specialties, getting patients into certain specialty offices, because we have to close the loop on the referral,” he said.
The clinic began serving patients on Dec. 22. In its first two weeks of operation, the clinic handled more than 900 patient visits, averaging between 150 and 175 patients per day despite holiday closures, Mattson said.
The new clinic will be replacing the services offered at two nearby sites, a clinic on D Avenue and another a few blocks away on Eighth Street. At least one of these clinics has outgrown its facility, and both combined served about 10,000 people annually, Mattson said. The new clinic accommodates double those service numbers.
It’s unclear what will happen to the two former facilities, but San Ysidro Health intends to keep them for potential specialist health care.
The new $54.5 million clinic was named after the Macias family, the health care network’s biggest donor. Born and raised in National City, philanthropist Ben Macias said he wanted to invest in local hard-working families.
“This center is my way of giving back to the community that raised me,” Macias said in a statement.
The project was primarily financed through a loan under the federal New Markets Tax Credits program and supplemented by a Macias family donation and San Ysidro Health funding.
Construction took about three years — roughly a year longer than originally planned — due to challenges such as groundwater issues and late-stage regulatory changes.
The new clinic expects to employ more than 200 permanent workers.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
