Dameron Hospital, which has served Stockton’s medical needs for more than a century, is transitioning to new bosses.
American Advanced Management, a Modesto-based hospital operator, started the process of taking control of 200-bed Dameron from Adventist Health on Dec. 2.
While no specific reason was given for the change by Dameron’s board of directors, AAM describes itself as specializing in “restoring community hospitals.” The company operates 14 medical facilities in five states.
AAM is led by a physician, Dr. Gurpreet Singh, who said in a statement that the mission is to “preserve access to quality health care” by expanding services. Singh, who specialized in internal medicine and gastroenterology when he practiced, said in a statement that Dameron fits into that mission, with its “excellent medical staff, team members and services and their deep commitment to the community.”
Some community hospitals like Dameron — a fully accredited, nonprofitfacility providing acute and tertiary level care for San Joaquin County residents — have had a tough time in recent years, their problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dameron, with 800 employees, was one of 17 financially stressed hospitals that received assistance from the state, receiving a loan of $29 million last year, according to CalMatters.
AAM isn’t afraid of taking on troubled hospitals. It won the bid to take over the bankrupt Madera Community Hospital when two other larger hospital operators, including Adventist Health, balked, the Fresno Bee reported in 2023.
Adventist Health, based in Roseville, began its management of Dameron at the start of 2020. In announcing the move at the time, Dameron’s board said that following a long search, it had “found an ideal partner.”
Now, Dameron’s board sounds encouraged that it’s getting AAM.
“American Advanced Management brings us solid management expertise and a positive track record in revitalizing hospitals with an emphasis on growth and fiscal responsibility,” Board President Bill Trezza said in a statement. “This will benefit everyone in the community.”
The hospital was founded in 1912 by Dr. John Dameron. By 1927, it had grown from 20 beds at its start to 55. It was incorporated in 1943 as the Dameron Hospital Association and is governed by a seven-member board of directors.