However, access to healthcare in Ceres is about to improve.

The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency will be breaking ground on the new Ceres Medical Office on Friday, October 30 at 10:30 a.m. The special ground breaking ceremony will occur at the new medical office site located at 3901 Whitmore Avenue.

The ground breaking ceremony will include Paul Caruso, (Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors), Bev Finley (Executive Director of the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency) Randy Brekke (real estate developer), Eric Ingwerson (Mayor of Ceres) and project partner American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance services.

The Ceres Medical Office was started during the closure of Memorial Hospital in Ceres as the Health Services Agency's response to the community need for local health services. The medical office was established on a temporary basis until a newer, more modern facility could be built to serve the community.

The new 10000 square foot Ceres Medical Office will feature 3 physicians and 4 nurse practitioners to accommodate the increasing number of patients being seen from the Ceres community. Numerous additional services to be provided at the new Ceres Medical Office include: health education and training, Keep Baby Safe programs, Lamaze training, immunization services, school and athletic physicals, diabetes education, nutrition clinics, and a behavioral clinic for patients over age 21 to be run in conjunction with the Department of Mental Health. The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program will also have services located at the medical office and American Medical Response will have a local base station for its ambulance services on-site. The Department of Mental Health will be expanding the scope of their services in Ceres in conjunction with this project.

The project has been spearheaded by the Health Services Agency as a cooperative effort between many local agencies designed to provide greater access to health services to the Ceres community.