Ribbon cutting marks expansion of specialized pediatric care into foothill communities
Community leaders, healthcare professionals and members of the local business community came together Thursday to celebrate the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of Shriners Children’s Northern California’s new clinic in Folsom, marking a major expansion of specialized pediatric care into eastern Sacramento County and El Dorado County.
The event, hosted in partnership with Choose Folsom, welcomed attendees for an afternoon celebration that included guided tours of the new facility, light bites and raffle prizes, culminating in the official ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. The gathering highlighted both the clinic’s opening and its anticipated impact on families throughout the foothill region.
Located at 1625 Creekside Drive, Suite 200, the new clinic represents the first off-campus extension of Shriners Children’s Northern California, which has long operated its flagship hospital at 2425 Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento. The site sits within an existing medical office building directly across from Dignity Health Mercy Hospital of Folsom, placing it within one of the city’s primary healthcare corridors.
The clinic began seeing patients March 19 and is currently open two days a week, Mondays and Thursdays, with future expansion to be evaluated based on demand. The second-floor suite is shared with another physician group and is designed to accommodate both new and returning patients.
“We are pleased now to expand into the Folsom community where we can see patients from Folsom, Fair Oaks, El Dorado Hills, Placerville and beyond,” said Kenny Pawlek, hospital administrator at Shriners Children’s Northern California. “We are proud to care for these patients today and are excited to offer our services to them at a location closer to where they live and play.”
Hospital leaders emphasized that the Folsom clinic will function as a direct extension of the outpatient clinic at the Sacramento hospital, ensuring patients receive care from the same specialized physicians and clinical teams in a more convenient setting. Shriners Children’s Northern California already treats hundreds of patients from Folsom and surrounding foothill communities each year, making the expansion a natural next step in meeting growing regional demand.
As one of the nation’s leading pediatric specialty providers, the hospital is approaching 30 years of service in the capital region and offers a comprehensive range of care. Services include orthopedics and orthopedic surgery, spine and spinal cord injury care, inpatient rehabilitation, cleft lip and palate surgery, and prosthetics and orthotics.
The addition of pediatric sports medicine services at the Folsom clinic is expected to benefit local youth athletes, providing more immediate access to care for sports-related injuries and orthopedic conditions without the longer commute into Sacramento.
Beyond its clinical offerings, Shriners Children’s Northern California is known for its full spectrum of wraparound, patient-centered care. This includes inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, child life services, recreational therapy, social services and an on-site classroom that provides customized instruction to help children stay on track academically during treatment. The organization’s mission is centered on delivering specialized pediatric care, advancing innovative research and providing education for medical professionals.
The hospital is also home to the Neil Reitman Pediatric Burn Institute, where children receive comprehensive treatment for burn injuries of all types and severities. For more than 25 years, the institute has delivered pioneering care ranging from initial treatment and critical care to rehabilitation and reconstruction, with a multidisciplinary approach focused on both physical recovery and emotional support.
Since opening its first hospital in 1922, Shriners Children’s has treated more than 1.5 million children. Today, the health system conducts more than 320,000 orthopedic visits each year and is supported by more than 1,200 specialized physicians and surgeons across its network. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate receive care regardless of their families’ ability to pay or insurance status.
Thursday’s grand opening served as both a celebration and a milestone, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to expanding access to high-quality pediatric specialty care. With its new location in Folsom, Shriners Children’s Northern California is positioned to better serve families throughout the region while continuing its legacy of compassionate, family-centered treatment.
For more information about Shriners Children’s Northern California and its services, visit shrinerschildrens.org.
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