NATIONAL CITY – San Ysidro Health has opened a new $55 million health center in National City, replacing two smaller centers.
“It gives us a lot more capacity to do more for the patients,” said Kevin Mattson, president and CEO of San Ysidro Health.
“At a time when many families and individuals are losing healthcare coverage and federal funding for community resources is increasingly limited, community health centers like San Ysidro Health are called to do more with less,” Mattson said. “We are committed to ensuring that no one is turned away due to their inability to pay.”
Mattson said that the health center would serve “both as a safety net and economic engine in our community.”
The center at 601 E. 14th St. is projected to serve 20,000 people annually, creating 200 to 250 permanent jobs, according to Mattson.
“National City is one of the communities with the highest unmet need in urban San Diego County,” Mattson said, adding that 25% to 30% of the community doesn’t have access to medical and behavioral health care.
The 44,000-square-foot center was initially estimated to cost $48.5 million, but Mattson said unexpected construction issues caused expenses to balloon.
“It has just been a very complicated project,” Mattson said.
To make room for underground parking, workers had to dig down 46 feet, Mattson said, and when they did that, the hole that would become a parking garage flooded.
“We had to pump all this water and everything else out and filter it and put it out downstream,” Mattson said.
Expanding Services
The center is named the Macias Family Health Center after philanthropist Ben Macias, CEO of CFS Transportation, based in National City.
The Macias family made what San Ysidro Health called “a transformative gift” toward building the center, but the agency said it couldn’t disclose the amount of the gift under the terms of a confidentiality agreement.
“Hardworking families deserve compassionate care and access to world-class facilities and services,” Macias said. “This center is my way of giving back to the community that raised me.”
The first floor of the two-story new center is set aside for San Diego PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly), providing medical, dental and behavioral health services to seniors.
“It’s a huge unmet need, especially in National City,” Mattson said.
PACE services include occupational and physical therapy, activities, meals, pharmacy services, radiology, diagnostic lab services, social services and transportation.
When combined with San Ysidro’s other PACE centers, it will be among the largest PACE programs in the U.S., according to Mattson.
“We’re working on another PACE Center at the Jacobs Center,” Mattson said.
San Ysidro Health in 2024 acquired the 73,000-square-foot Joe & Vi Jacobs Center building on Euclid Avenue for $20 million.
The second floor of the new National City health center is a Federally Qualified Health Center, offering medical, dental and expanded behavioral health services for families and individuals.
San Ysidro Health is scheduled to open three other health centers this year – Julian Family Medicine in March. The Joe & Vi Jacobs Center in the fall, and Chula Vista Specialty Care in winter 2026.
San Ysidro will keep the smaller buildings that the Macias Family Health Center replaces, although Mattson said no decision has been made on how to use them.
“We’re looking to see if we can expand the services that are incidental to what we’re doing in the new building,” Mattson said.
San Ysidro Health
FOUNDED: 1969
PRESIDENT AND CEO: Kevin Mattson
HEADQUARTERS: San Ysidro
BUSINESS: Nonprofit healthcare
BUDGET: $600 million
EMPLOYEES: 3,000
WEBSITE: syhealth.org
CONTACT: 619-662-4100
SOCIAL IMPACT: A Federally Qualified Health Center, SYH’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of the communities it serves, with access for all.
NOTABLE: San Ysidro Health was formed by a group of mothers who wanted healthcare needs attended to in their own community instead of having to travel for medical services.
A native of New England, Ray Huard has been a reporter at newspapers in California, Florida and New England, including The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, the Miami Herald, the Palm Beach Post in West Palm Beach, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the North County Times, and the San Diego Business Journal. He has covered a wide variety of beats including real estate, politics, science, the environment, state and city government and courts.
