Origins The organization takes its name from one of
Sacramento’s original European settlements, Sutter's Fort, built by California pioneer
John Sutter. In response to the
1918 flu pandemic, community leaders constructed the first Sutter Hospital in the vicinity of the fort, replacing an old adobe house that had previously served as a makeshift hospital.
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento occupies this site today. Other Sutter Health hospitals date back to the 1800s and were some of Northern California's earliest healthcare providers. For example,
California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco was formed out of the successive hospital and medical school mergers dating back to the city's earliest days of organized medicine. The predecessor of today's Sutter
Santa Rosa Regional Hospital opened its doors to residents of
Sonoma County in 1866. Many of the health care facilities that eventually became part of Sutter Health were created as
charitable hospitals by community members in cities coping with growing populations, epidemics, fires, floods and earthquakes.
Late 20th century Government cutbacks, the advent of managed care, and other financial pressures fueled an increase in hospital and physician organization mergers, acquisitions, and affiliations. By 1995, Sutter Health had grown to include 18 affiliated hospitals, seven medical foundations (physician organizations), and numerous outpatient care centers throughout Northern California. In 1986, Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center in
San Francisco, Mills-Peninsula Hospital in
San Mateo, and
Marin General Hospital in
Greenbrae created an affiliation known as California Healthcare System (CHS). Berkeley-based Alta Bates Corporation (now known as
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center) joined CHS in 1992, the same year that saw the creation of
California Pacific Medical Center, formed through a merger of Pacific Presbyterian and Children's Hospital of San Francisco. In January 1996, California Healthcare System merged with Sutter Health.
21st century The new century brought advances in healthcare technology. Sutter Health was among the first health systems in the United States to install barcode medication safety technology and an electronic intensive care unit. In 2016, Sutter Health became the jersey sponsor of the
San Jose Earthquakes. In 2019, the
Sacramento River Cats stadium was renamed
Sutter Health Park. In 2025, Sutter Health was reported to have entered into a $13 million sports team sponsorship agreement with the National Women's Soccer League franchise Bay FC. In 2026, Sutter Health announced plans to enter the
Minnesota and western
Wisconsin markets with the acquisition of
Minneapolis based
Allina Health. ==Hospitals and medical groups==