Adventist Health announces major milestone for new medical campus
Bakersfield, Calif. – Adventist Health has acquired nearly 50 acres at Bakersfield Commons in northwest Bakersfield – making way for a new state-of-the-art medical campus to serve the people of Kern County.
“This is an exciting milestone for Adventist Health,” said Daniel Wolcott, president of Adventist Health Kern County. “Our mission calls us to find the best ways to serve the nearly 1 million residents living in Kern County, so that we can improve the health and well-being of as many people as possible. This new site will expand our reach as we provide health, wholeness and hope.”
The transaction is the first for Bakersfield Commons, a 250-acre parcel that will soon be home to new residential (single and multi-family) housing, retail, restaurant, entertainment, office, healthcare and open space uses. The property is slated to become a lifestyle center that integrates wellness in each phase throughout the site.
The new medical campus will be a catalyst for further development at Bakersfield Commons with additional announcements expected later this year. Given the importance of wellness throughout the Bakersfield Commons site, it was important for the news of the Adventist Health project to come first.
The medical campus, which will be located on the eastern portion of the site, will be called the Roth Family Campus in recognition of a $16 million donation from the Roth family, which has owned the Bakersfield Commons property for more than 50 years. The next generation of the Roth family plans to continue the commitment to the Bakersfield community for years to come.
“Our family always envisioned Bakersfield Commons as a place that would center healthy living and wellness for the people of Kern County, and we couldn’t be more proud that Adventist Health will be the first anchor to open their doors in this special community,” said Steve Roth, Co-CEO of World Oil Corp., the owner of Bakersfield Commons. “The addition of Adventist will set the tone for the development of Bakersfield Commons as a community-serving hub that will include homes, beautiful parks, retail, entertainment uses, and health resources that will have an enormously positive impact on the community for generations to come.”
Investing in the communities in which they operate has been an important part of the Roths’ philosophy and corporate culture since they founded their business in the 1930s. This steadfast commitment covers communities throughout California, including Bakersfield, where they will remain a local owner and stakeholder.
“The transformation of this land is a family legacy and it is amazing to see it come to life with the addition of Adventist, which will bring so much value to the people of Bakersfield and the greater Kern County area,” said Bob Roth, Co-CEO of World Oil Inc. “Our family remains deeply committed to Bakersfield, and all of the communities where we do business.”
The philanthropic donation aligns with the Roth family’s long history of charitable giving, supporting medical facilities in Southern California, including Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach and Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, as well as the LA County Museum of Art, Wilshire Boulevard Temple, USC and many other leading nonprofit organizations.
“On behalf of the entire Adventist Health organization, I want to thank the Roth family for their incredible generosity and longstanding commitment to supporting community wellness,” said Wolcott. “We’re honored to be a part of the Bakersfield Commons project and look forward to the continued development in this growing area of our city.”
# # #
Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 80 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii as well as others across the U.S. through its Blue Zones company, a pioneer in taking a systemic and environmental approach to improving the health of entire cities and communities. Through this work, Adventist Health is leading a 21st century well-being transformation movement. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides care in hospitals, clinics, its innovative Adventist Health Hospital@Home program that provides virtual in-patient care at home, home care agencies, hospice agencies and joint-venture retirement centers in both rural and urban communities. Our compassionate and talented team of 37,000 includes associates, medical staff physicians, allied health professionals and volunteers driven in pursuit of one mission: living God's love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. Together, we are transforming the American healthcare experience with an innovative, yet timeless, whole-person focus on physical, mental, spiritual and social healing to support community well-being.
Bakersfield Commons is a 250-acre master-planned community located directly between the two major retail corridors of the Stockdale and Rosedale Highways and at the center of Bakersfield’s major thoroughfares. The community is thoughtfully designed with a commitment to sustainability and wellness, and will provide a variety of offerings including retail, entertainment, dining, business, and healthcare. Bakersfield Commons is owned by the Roth Family., a stakeholder in the City for more than 50 years. The Roth family owns World Oil Corp. Founded in 1938, World Oil Corp. recycles, produces, and transports vital petroleum products and provides important environmental services in California and throughout the western United States. Bakersfield Commons is partnering with Tammell Crow as a development partner. For more information, please visit www.bakersfieldcommons.com.
