Explore Our History
Back in the 1950s, the 18-bed St. Paul Hospital proved too small for the Livermore and Pleasanton communities. Weary of traveling to Oakland or Hayward for health care, local residents banded together to build Valley Memorial Hospital on land donated by Kaiser Paving Company in Livermore.
From that beginning, Valley Memorial developed into a two-campus health system with the opening of ValleyCare Medical Center in Pleasanton in 1991.
Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare was formed in 2015 when ValleyCare Health System became part of Stanford Health Care. For 60 years, the health system has remained non-profit and has grown along with the Tri-Valley, expanding and adding services as the needs of the people grew.
As a community-based, academic-affiliated health system, we offer award-winning, compassionate, quality care coupled with research-fueled, innovative medicine.
1960s
Local residents, weary of traveling to Oakland or Hayward for health care, band together and raise money to build Valley Memorial Hospital in Livermore. Valley Memorial Hospital opens on October 2, 1961, with 46 beds.
A third floor is added, increasing capacity to 110 beds. (1969)
1970s
A 23-acre parcel of land is purchased at the corner of Santa Rita and West Las Positas in Pleasanton for the future ValleyCare Medical Center. (1974)
Intensive & Cardiac Care Center expands from five to ten beds. (1977)
1980s
ValleyCare Foundation is founded to facilitate fundraising. (1982)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is offered. (1988)
Medical Plaza West and the Ambulatory Care Center opens on the Pleasanton Campus. (1989)
1990s
ValleyCare is chosen as one of only 225 hospitals worldwide to participate in an international study on the use of clot-busting drugs for heart attack treatment. (1990)
ValleyCare Medical Center in Pleasanton opens to patients on December 10 with 67 beds. (1991)
2000s
Chabot College Nursing Program and ValleyCare partner to address a nationwide nursing shortage, opening a nursing school on the Livermore campus. (2002)
Regional Cancer Center at ValleyCare opens in collaboration with UC Davis Cancer Care Network. (2007)
The first minimally invasive, non-dislocating hip replacement surgery in California is performed at ValleyCare, allowing for a faster and easier recovery process. (2007)
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) expands from four to ten beds. (2009)
2010s
Stanford Health Care completes its affiliation with the ValleyCare Health System, renaming it Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare. (2015)
Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare opens a Gynecologic Cancer Program, bringing minimally invasive robotic surgery to campus for the first time. (2015)
Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare receives certification as a Primary Stroke Center, giving local patients 24/7 access to stroke-trained neurologists. (2019)
2020s
The first clinical trial launches at Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare, testing the effectiveness of remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19. (2020)
Stanford Medical Center Development merges with ValleyCare Charitable Foundation to further advance fundraising efforts for Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare. (2020)
Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare is the first in California to use the Barricaid annular closure device to prevent reherniated spinal discs. (2021)
A Legacy of Care in the Tri-Valley
Since its founding, Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare has been committed to the health and well-being of people in the Tri-Valley. That legacy continues today, with a culture inspired by the spirit of residents and leaders who launched a grassroots campaign 60 years ago to build a new hospital in what was then a patchwork of townships, farms, and ranches.
Support Our Mission
Learn how you can support our commitment to provide world-class
medical care to the Tri-Valley community.
medical care to the Tri-Valley community.