Sutter Expands Access to Care in Freedom and Watsonville

Jun 30, 2026

Jerome Hubbard

Dr. Kurt VanderVort, and other community officials gather for the Freedom Care Center ribbon cutting.

Sutter Health is expanding access to care in southern Santa Cruz County with the opening of its new Freedom Care Center, bringing primary and specialty services closer to patients in the Watsonville and Freedom communities.

The new care center offers family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and specialty care in one convenient location, making it easier for patients to receive coordinated, high-quality care close to home. The project was supported by a $2.5 million grant from Central California Alliance for Health, reflecting a shared commitment to improving access for underserved communities.

“We’re opening our Freedom Care Center to serve our patients in the Watsonville and Freedom area,” said Dr. Kurt VandeVort, CEO of Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group. “We have specialties next door to us, and we’re adding some family medicine, some pediatric physicians and advanced practice clinicians to this site.”

The expansion comes as the region continues to see growing demand for health care services. By bringing more providers and services together under one roof, Sutter is helping reduce travel times and improve access to preventive and specialty care.

Dr. Kurt VanderVort and members of the Board of Supervisors.

“There’s not enough care in this area,” Dr. VandeVort said. “We need to expand care and access for patients. We need to make care closer to home for our patients so that they can receive that care near their homes and not have to travel as far.”

The investment reflects Sutter Health’s ongoing commitment to meeting the health needs of the communities it serves while strengthening partnerships that improve health outcomes across the region.

“We all know how bad traffic can be in this area,” Dr. VandeVort said. “Having primary care and specialty care services near their house is critically important. It improves quality of care and improves access and convenience for our patients.”

The new care center represents another milestone in Sutter’s efforts to deliver connected, compassionate care and ensure families throughout Santa Cruz County have greater access to services close to where they live.

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