By Healthcare Facilities Today

Construction continues on schedule for the nearly $1-billion California Health Care Facility in Stockton, Calif. The 400-acre site will house a 1.2 million-square-foot facility with 1,722 beds to treat inmates within the California state prison system, according to Healthcare Construction & Operations magazine. 

In October the federal government gave the state of California authority to staff and equip the new facility as it begins the process of resuming control over the prison healthcare system  according to the Los Angeles Times. In 2005, a federal court took control of prison healthcare from the state when concerns grew over the number of seemingly preventable inmate deaths. 

The construction work is expected to generate as many as 5,500 temporary jobs in Stockton over the next two years, which is particularly important in a town that had a 15.5 percent unemployment rate in November, according to an article at Recordnet.com.

The facility is expected to be fully operational in 2014 and will employ 2,400 people with annual payroll of $220 million, according to Healthcare Construction & Operations magazine.