The Sonoma County Indian Health Project is planning a medical campus on 10 acres in Santa Rosa that marks a significant shift in how Native communities approach long-term healthcare infrastructure. The new facility, designed to serve generations ahead, reflects a deliberate move away from managing immediate scarcity toward building for sustained growth and equity.
SCIHP opened its current Stony Point campus nearly 25 years ago with 45,000 square feet on three acres, built with the expectation it would serve the community far into the future. Today, that facility is constrained. The organization now serves nearly 6,900 active patients and provides more than 130,000 encounters each year across medical, dental, behavioral health, laboratory, pharmacy, transportation, and other services. Staff parking has moved across the street, and additional office space has been leased nearby to accommodate programs that no longer fit on the three-acre campus.
The planned Cleveland Avenue facility addresses this growth directly. Originally envisioned as approximately 70,000 square feet when SCIHP purchased the site in 2020, the project has expanded to approximately 108,000 square feet in a single-story design on 10 acres. The increase reflects a more careful assessment of community needs over time and a commitment to building capacity for decades ahead rather than solving only immediate problems.
Planning For Generations, Not Years
SCIHP’s history underscores why that long-term perspective matters. More than half a century ago, the organization began with one examination table and one dental chair, a stark reminder of how little Native communities historically had to work with when seeking healthcare. For generations, Native people were told to make do with fewer resources, inadequate facilities, and limited access to care, accepting health outcomes that would be unacceptable elsewhere.
The new campus breaks that pattern. Andy Mejia, Chairman of SCIHP and Chairperson of the Lytton Rancheria of California, has stated that the organization’s responsibility today is not to build the smallest facility it can operate or to solve only the problems immediately in front of the community. Instead, the goal is to use available resources wisely so that Native families 20, 30, and 50 years forward inherit something better.
Obstacles And Revised Timelines
Construction has not yet begun, a delay that prompted questions about the project’s viability and commitment. The delay reflects neither diminished commitment nor a lack of conviction, but rather a deliberate process of evaluating options. During the planning period, inflation and construction costs increased significantly. The organization also encountered concerns about neighboring development, traffic patterns, and reliable access for emergency medical personnel.
SCIHP considered whether acquiring and renovating an existing building might make more financial sense than ground-up construction. The organization continued evaluating how much space it needs, what services to provide, and how to ensure the facility can grow alongside community demand. SCIHP has not yet approved a final construction budget or placed a cap on the project cost.
Mejia has emphasized that taking time to build the right facility should not be mistaken for a lack of commitment. The commitment is greater now than when the property was purchased six years ago. The project is larger, community needs are better understood, and the determination to build something worthy of the Native people and families served has only grown. The organization will announce a timeline when planning is complete and leadership is confident it can be met.
Native communities have occupied these lands for thousands of years, yet Native people continue to experience serious health disparities and shorter life expectancy than Americans overall. While that history cannot be undone, the decisions made today with available resources will shape what the next generation inherits from this moment.
