Scripps Health has unveiled a bold, long-term facilities plan for its northern region — a roadmap designed to guide strategic growth, expand patient access, and ensure high-quality care across San Diego County for generations to come.

Approved by the Scripps Health Board of Trustees, the plan outlines significant investments in new and existing facilities, with a focus on strengthening Scripps’ footprint in the region where its presence is already strongest.

“The economic and regulatory uncertainties facing health care today call for growth that is strategic, incremental, and flexible,” said Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health president and CEO. “To truly finance and achieve our mission to serve patients across San Diego County, we must first secure and expand our market in the north, where we have a stronger footing.”

At the heart of the plan is a newly acquired 15-acre property in San Marcos, situated at the intersection of Discovery Street and Twin Oaks Valley Road. The site will serve as the future Scripps San Marcos Medical Center Campus, offering expanded access to care in one of the fastest-growing areas of North County.

The new campus will commence with a comprehensive ambulatory care facility, followed by a 120-bed acute care hospital, with the option to expand to up to 230 beds. This development will supersede earlier plans, offering enhanced visibility, accessibility, and long-term growth potential.

The facilities plan also calls for the evolution of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla into a regional medical center that integrates the programs, physicians, and staff of Scripps Green Hospital.

While retrofitting or rebuilding Scripps Green was considered, property restrictions and height limits made significant upgrades impractical. Instead, Scripps will expand its La Jolla campus over the next five to ten years, constructing a new medical office building and a third multi-story hospital tower. The transition of Green’s services to La Jolla will commence once the construction milestones are met.

“Putting our patients at the center of all we do is a legacy we inherited from Ellen Browning Scripps and Mother Mary Michael Cummings, two pioneering women who first brought health care to San Diego,” Van Gorder said. “Like them, we want to provide quality care for another century or longer, and this plan charts a course to that future.”