Palo Alto Medical Foundation

For many Palo Alto families, "PAMF" is simply where the doctor is. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation began as a downtown group practice almost a century ago and is now part of Sutter Health, the large Northern California nonprofit system. Its Palo Alto Center at 795 El Camino Real, beside Town & Country Village and across from Stanford, holds primary care, dozens of specialties, imaging, lab services and two urgent care clinics.

This page explains what the center offers, when urgent care is open, how parking works and how PAMF fits alongside Stanford. It is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. Details come from Sutter Health's pages as they read in late October 2026. Hours change, especially on holidays, so check the linked pages before you go.

From Homer Avenue to El Camino Real

The foundation's roots are in the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, which Dr. Russel Lee and a handful of colleagues formed around 1930. At the time, pooling doctors' practices and income was a radical idea. The group moved into a Birge Clark building at 300 Homer Avenue in 1932, created the nonprofit Palo Alto Medical Foundation in 1981 and became an affiliate of Sutter Health in 1993. Our history of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic tells the full story. The 1932 building, bought by the city in 2000, is now the Roth Building, covered on our Palo Alto History Museum page.

Today the main Palo Alto campus is on El Camino Real. Sutter's page names the Michael and Judith Gaulke Center at that address. Locals also know the Lee Building, where the urgent care clinics are on Level 1.

What the Palo Alto Center offers

Sutter's Palo Alto Center page describes primary care and more than 50 specialty and subspecialty services. Its examples include:

• allergy and immunology
• cardiology
• dermatology
• neurology
• obstetrics and gynecology
• pediatrics
• radiation oncology
• sports medicine

The center also lists diagnostic imaging and laboratory services. Amenities on the page include onsite parking, free Wi-Fi, dining, gender-neutral restrooms, wheelchair access and language assistance.

Two programs stand out. A sensory-friendly clinic helps children with disabilities, anxiety or phobias get through vaccinations and blood draws. The page also says PAMF is the only Sutter location offering the Valeda light treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration, with questions answered at 650-853-2974.

General center hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sutter notes that Saturday hours vary by department, so ask your provider's office.

Urgent care hours

Sutter runs two urgent care clinics at the Palo Alto Center, both on Level 1 of the Lee Building.

The children's clinic lists the same 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. hours on upcoming holidays, including Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The adult clinic's page did not list separate holiday hours when we checked, so call ahead on a holiday.

The adult clinic's page lists the kinds of problems it treats, from colds, flu and sore throats to sprains, burns, ear infections and urinary tract infections. It also offers wound care, imaging and lab services. The same page says to call 911 for a medical emergency. Our urgent care guide compares these clinics with Stanford's Express Care and walk-in clinic.

Before an urgent care visit

A few minutes of preparation can shorten a visit and make it less stressful, especially with a sick child in the car.

1. Decide if it is urgent care at all. Anything that could be life-threatening, such as chest pain, trouble breathing or signs of a stroke, calls for 911, not a clinic.
2. Check the page first. Sutter's clinic pages show the current hours. The adult clinic offers "On My Way" so staff know you are coming. The children's clinic takes bookings through My Health Online.
3. Consider video. The children's urgent care page offers on-demand video visits for signed-in My Health Online users, who join a queue online. That can save a trip for some minor problems.
4. Bring the basics. Photo ID, your insurance card, a list of medications and allergies and, for children, any recent vaccine records.
5. Plan for parking. Leave a little extra time if you arrive around midday, when the garage is busiest.

If you are not sure where to go, many health plans run nurse advice lines; the number is often on the back of your insurance card.

Parking and getting there

The center has onsite parking, including an underground structure. Sutter's urgent care page warns that the structure can be full on busy days and points to extra parking right behind the clinic on Urban Lane, with more elsewhere on the campus. Allow a few extra minutes at midday.

The campus is a walk or short bus ride from the Palo Alto Transit Center at the downtown Caltrain station. Our Caltrain guide covers schedules. Town & Country Village next door has a pharmacy and quick food for anyone waiting on a family member.

PAMF or Stanford?

Palo Alto is unusual in having two large health systems a mile apart. They are separate organizations with separate doctors, portals and insurance contracts.

• Insurance first. Check which system your health plan includes before choosing a primary care doctor.
• Hospital care. PAMF's Palo Alto Center is outpatient only. If you need a hospital stay, your doctor will tell you where they admit patients. Ask early if this matters to you.
• Records. PAMF patients use Sutter's My Health Online. If you also see Stanford doctors, ask both offices how to share results.
• Emergencies. Neither PAMF urgent care clinic is an emergency department. For anything life-threatening, call 911. Our emergency rooms guide lists the nearest departments.

For a full overview of hospitals, clinics and the VA, see our healthcare in Palo Alto guide. Next door on the Stanford side, Stanford Hospital handles trauma and the most complex care.

Practical tips

• Use the portal. My Health Online handles booking, messages, test results and video visits.
• Vaccines. Ask your PAMF office about flu and other shots. Our vaccines guide lists other places to get them.
• New residents. Getting a first primary care appointment can take time, so set one up before you need it.
• Language help. Sutter lists language assistance at the center. Ask when you book.

Frequently asked questions