STOCKTON -- Not only is construction of a huge health care facility for prison inmates on the outskirts of Stockton ahead of schedule, but its building is pumping millions of dollars into the local economy.

That was the update on the construction of the California Health Care Facility delivered this week to the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting.

County officials heard from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation about the physical transformation, learning how the 1.2 million-square-foot facility went from graded earth to dozens of new buildings in a little more than a year.

The update included news on developments from a legal settlement with the state to make sure the project turned out to be a net gain for the county and its residents. The county was one of the organizations to sue the state before the settlement was reached.

Two years later, the results look good to county officials.

"All the steps taken by the county with the city of Stockton have proven to be fruitful," board chairman Steve Bestolarides said. "And the (state) has honored its commitments."

The estimated $900 million project to build the 1,722-bed medical and mental health facility is on track to receive its first inmate in July and be fully up and running by the end of 2013, project manager Andrew Freeman said.

It would have about 2,800 full-time employees. But before that, the construction will generate about $766 million in economic benefit and employ some 5,500 workers, Freeman said, adding, "That's a pretty substantial impact."

Progress also is happening at the neighboring DeWitt Nelson Correctional Annex, which is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2014, he said. The $113 million construction project would add 1,133 more inmate beds.

Together, the two projects consist of 82 buildings with 1.49 million square feet of medical, housing and administrative space.

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San Joaquin prison facility humming along