by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | March 20, 2025
Scripps Health is set to develop a new medical center campus in San Marcos, marking a significant expansion of healthcare services in North San Diego County, California.
The planned Scripps San Marcos Medical Center will be built on a 13-acre site south of State Route 78 near Twin Oaks Valley Parkway. The project will roll out in two phases, starting with an ambulatory care facility followed by a 200- to 250-bed acute care hospital.
“We acquired the San Marcos property 35 years ago,” said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health. “But it wasn’t the right time to build. Our patient population in the area has since grown to the point that it made sense for us to move forward.”
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Scripps originally purchased about 80 acres in San Marcos in 1990 with long-term plans for a medical center. After collaborating with developer H.G. Fenton and the City of San Marcos, the health system retained 13 acres for the project.
The Scripps Health Board of Trustees recently approved the facility plans after years of planning and site improvements, including grading, road construction, and underground utility work.
The first phase of the campus will feature an ambulatory care center with primary and multispecialty physician offices, an ambulatory surgery center, cancer treatment services, imaging, laboratory facilities, and other outpatient services. Scripps will work with the City of San Marcos to move forward with construction.
The second phase will focus on the acute care hospital, which will require approval from both the City of San Marcos and the State of California, which oversees hospital construction.
“A major player like Scripps choosing to invest in San Marcos is exciting on so many levels,” said San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones. “We have worked hard to become a premier health care hub in the region, which not only supports a strong local economy but contributes to the ultimate goal of making San Marcos a place where people live long, healthy lives.”
Scripps Health, a nonprofit system based in San Diego, operates five acute-care hospitals and more than 30 outpatient centers and clinics throughout the region, serving over 600,000 patients annually.
