We work to understand and best serve the diverse needs of our communities.
Working with the community to prepare for and prevent alcohol-related accidents
“Being part of prevention efforts is important for the staff because they deal with the aftermath of tragic real-life, alcohol-related accidents all the time. This is a way for them to try to make a difference in the community by working to prevent accidents before they happen.”
With bone marrow donation, giving life to others
“I want people to understand donation is what we call a gift of life, and it is in your hands. You can be the cure.”
Helping high-risk communities maintain their health
“The pandemic delayed routine preventive screenings, and it is crucial to help members of high-risk communities maintain their health and provide them with the equitable, high-quality care they deserve.”
The team donates to Sutter Senior Care
“When we have made this donation in person before, the participants’ faces light up. They are so happy as soon as we enter the building. The staff were very grateful that we were able to donate again this year.”
Providing humanitarian aid in Iraq
“I’m working for an Assyrian aid society of America. We have a mobile clinic that gets donations, and when we travel, a young physician comes along and treats patients. The mobile clinic travels to the villages and remote areas to provide medical assistance to Assyrians, and if Yazidis and Kurds come, we do provide them with a free physician check-up and medication.”
Building community health through food bank support
“One way that Sutter helps keep communities healthy is by supporting local food banks across Northern California to help improve access to nutrition for underserved communities.”
She serves the community where she lives
“I find deep satisfaction in what I do and enjoy the people I work with at NCH. I live in Novato and love taking care of my community.”
The importance of education and acceptance
“As healthcare providers, it’s our obligation to advocate for all members of our community and support them. When members of the transgender community come into our facilities, we have our biases—but the patient may be terrified. They’re fought for acceptance all their life. We need to make sure they know they’re safe.”
Raising awareness of Ability and ability issues
“I’ve been a member of the Ability IRG since it was formed three years ago. What interests me is raising awareness of ability issues. There’s still a lot of stigma centered on ability and being disabled. My greatest hope is to help remove some of that stigma and help people feel more comfortable in their own space.”
Portraits of Pride: She’s Sutter Proud
“The fact that Sutter Health has a Pride Inclusion Resource Group for employees says to me that I’m supported at work. People are more understanding today and more accepting. I’ve worked in Sutter’s booths at Pride events. It feels good to work for this organization.”
The importance of caring for the trans community
“Many trans people don’t get the medical treatment they need and deserve because they fear discrimination or misunderstanding. That’s one of the biggest things I want people to know. As a medical community, it’s important that we educate ourselves and extend respect and dignity to all of our patients.”
Overcoming vaccine hesitancy in the Russian community
“Being religious, we want to make sure that we are doing good. If we can have ministers within the Slavic community speak out on getting your vaccine, maybe the people will view it as a good matter, something that we need to do if all of us want to be protected.”
Pride in her work led to focused care for the LGBTQ+ community
“The ultimate goal is that any patient can come into our organization and see any primary care provider and receive the care they need. Until we reach that point, I am proud to offer gender care and sexual health services to patients in a central, convenient and caring clinic.”
Speaking up for the safety of the community
“Change starts with acknowledgment, empathy and compassion. Acknowledging we have a problem with hate and racism in our society is a start. Then by showing our brothers and sisters we care, we can start the healing. But how can we make a difference and stop the cycle of violence and hate? Here’s my humble recommendation, centered around the Sutter Safe Care program: When you see or hear something that is wrong or harmful, speak up!”
Raising awareness of hate crimes against Asian Americans in the time of COVID
“In the Bay Area, 708 events have been reported since the pandemic started. Asians have been typically reticent to report, so this is likely an underestimate. I myself have not been immune to racial aspersions during the pandemic, even behind my white coat, mask and protective eyewear. Thankfully, none have escalated to violence.”
She and teammates volunteer to help sexual assault survivors
“I felt very strongly about giving back to our community. As a labor and delivery nurse, this seemed like a natural progression to me. I help women during a very vulnerable time in their lives, and I felt that I could use my experience helping people who have gone through a traumatic experience as well. I had never done any type of forensic nursing, and it was intriguing to me.”
She devoted time to administering vaccine at Sutter’s community clinic
“It was a really great experience. All the patients were super happy to be there. They were in great spirits, and it was a really good environment. A lot of patients were like, ‘Can I get a selfie with you?’ It was such an awesome thing to be part of.”
Setting aside historic distrust to receive COVID-19 shot
“As an African American, knowing that people who share my ethnicity and history helped develop the vaccine makes me feel trust. While we can never forget the past, it also should not dictate our actions without considering the present.
“…I got vaccinated for my family, my community and for this country, so that we all may begin to heal from this pandemic.”
Helping Light the Night, because cancer doesn’t take a break for the pandemic
“Even though 2020 is a crazy, crazy time, cancer doesn’t take a break. Anything we can do to support and connect with cancer patients, we need to do. They’re more alone than ever now.
“At Sutter Health, we talk about our values. This is one way we’re walking the walk. We’re partnering with the community to help the people we serve.”
Read more on NewsPlus.
Advocating for her son and others starts with meaningful conversation
“How do we advocate and raise awareness and educate? It starts through meaningful conversation. Our cognitive and intellectually abled population is vast—yet it’s often limited when it comes to specific socio-economic opportunities that enable independence and self-pride. What about our members of this population?”
She recovered from COVID–so she’s helping others
“I have just made a full recovery from COVID-19 and have scheduled an appointment with our local Red Cross to donate convalescent plasma. I feel that I’m doing my part to help the patients in our community. I look forward to my appointment later this month.”
She saw how first responders cheered COVID healthcare workers–and did the same for weary firefighters
“As part of the Sutter family, I’ve seen the salutes that our frontline healthcare workers have received from first responders–including fire, police, sheriff and ambulance units–thanking our nurses and doctors for their bravery and dedication to duty in the face of COVID-19. Those tributes were so meaningful to us, I thought we could do the same for the firefighters.”
Setting aside fear to donate blood during COVID-19
“During a virtual town hall meeting few weeks ago, Sarah Krevans mentioned that she had recently donated blood smack dab in the middle of this pandemic. I have donated blood and plasma in the past but hadn’t thought about donating during the pandemic. After listening to Sarah, I set aside my fear and made a blood donation. The experience was pleasant and safe, and I felt good about my decision to donate.
“I recently received a text from Vitalant that my blood donation has been sent to a hospital to help a patient needing a transfusion. It made my day that I have helped someone in need. I am glad I attended the town hall and heard Sarah mention giving blood, which inspired me to do the same. Every little bit helps.”
She found PPE to protect skilled nursing patients from COVID-19
“As skilled nursing facilities began actively preparing for COVID-19, they were struggling to get the needed supplies to protect their patients and employees. As a community case manager, it is part of my job to listen and see how we can best support our community partners.
“It’s been a real grassroots effort among our team at ABSMC to secure donations from the community.”
Bridging cultures to provide the best care
“Cultural humility and cultural understanding are essential when working with patients and families. As a chaplain and chaplain educator, I am proud of how our discipline helps support patient experiences and staff, so that we understand one another and provide the best possible care to our patients, families and one another.”
Raising the Rainbow Flag at Honolulu Pride
“Iwas so proud of our Kāhi Mohala and Sutter Health team at Honolulu Pride.
“It was hot and humid, but everyone was enjoying themselves and living in the moment. I couldn’t help but tear up uncontrollably at times at this larger than life event filled with love, freedom, inclusion and positivity.”
Marching for unity
“This year more than ever when the world around us can feel so divided, it was important that Sutter Health and our team supported the march. It helped amplify Martin Luther King Jr.’s message that we are one people and everyone deserves dignity, respect and fair treatment.” Read more on NewsPlus.
You’re caring for your community.
“I like the small town atmosphere here. You are caring for your community–whether that’s your neighbor or someone you see at the grocery store. I never used to see my patients outside of the hospital before.”
Reaching out to San Francisco’s Most Vulnerable
“Alot of times, clients from the Tenderloin and Haight-Ashbury come in to the emergency room with more progressed conditions, both medical and behavioral. We’re interested in investing in having people be healthier and get the services they need sooner.” Read more on NewsPlus.
Healing the community, one patient at a time
“The generosity of the community has a direct and powerful impact on the ability of Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital’s care teams to comfort, support and heal patients and their families.” Read more on NewsPlus.
Celebrating those who serve their country
“Itruly appreciate Sutter Health’s dedication to the men and women who serve our country and put their lives on hold for us. We’re giving back to them in their honor.” Read more on NewsPlus.
‘We take care of our community’
“I received my bone marrow transplant at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, and I had the best care possible. I loved my nurses. That’s why I became a Sutter nurse. We take care of our community. Dulcy is captain of the Team Sutter group at the 2019 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light the Night event at Sutter Health Park.” Read more on NewsPlus.
Speaking the same language
“Our patients come from many different cultures—but so does our team. We try to share the patients with our co-workers who speak their own language. For example, when we’re helping a patient who speaks Chinese, we want to make sure she feels comfortable with our team and our care. So we make sure that our co-worker who speaks Chinese helps the patient access services. Since I speak Hindi, I try to register patients from India. We want our patients to have the best, most comfortable, least stressful experience possible, and we do everything we can to help that happen.”
Community embraces, expands nurse education
“Since I began working as the education coordinator at Sutter Coast Hospital, several of our nurses returned to school to work toward higher levels of education. Because of this, our county is now collaborating with the local community college and a nearby university to bring an R.N. and BSN program—LVN to R.N. to BSN—to this community. This is huge!
“By having nurses with more formal education, we are able to recruit and retain more hospital nursing staff to help fill the extreme shortage we have here on the rural north coast of California.”
She helped bolster Sutter’s donations to Ukraine
“It felt good to be doing something, anything. There is nothing more I can do from here, but to keep sharing Ukraine’s plight, to keep the war at the forefront of the news, and to keep reminding the world that it is still happening.”
Providing equitable care, from the Sutter family
“Sutter Health has always felt like family to me. I appreciate the work and emphasis being placed on diversity and inclusion and understanding the ways we need to improve in our communities to provide safe and equitable care to all.”
Donors’ gift supports maternal health equity
“Maternal health has been a focus for our team from the very start as part of the multidisciplinary effort to prevent maternal health disparities within our system—and more recently with our work uncovering inequities in outcomes for COVID-19 patients.”
The importance of community outreach in cancer care
“Partnering with a community health care organization like Native American Health to provide cancer education and screenings is an effective way for us to help reduce cancer risk in our community and reduce cancer disparities.”
Sacrificing and uniting to serve the community during the pandemic
“2021 highlighted our commitment to our community. The sacrifices of the Sutter family have truly inspired me and have not gone unseen. COVID was not the only obstacle over the past year, and time and time again, the staff at Sutter pivoted. From Environmental Services, to security, nurses, physician assistants and doctors, they have put the community first and risked their own health for the greater good.
“I am looking forward to seeing where the continued explosion of kindness is going to take the Sutter family.”
Pediatric nutrition program reaches out to community
“The pediatric weight management program is the single most significant project I’ve been involved in during my 32 years in medicine.
“We at Sutter are proud to offer this service to our community. It is innovative service lines such as our pediatric weight management program that convince people to choose Sutter for their healthcare needs.”
The effort to keep care closer to home at Coast
“We can really help this huge population in need. I’d like to offer more of what we can do, closer to home—my vision is a more comprehensive general surgery program so that we can help a lot more patients than we refer out.”
His life’s work includes serving underserved communities
“My first position after residency was in Transkei, a homeland of apartheid South Africa. It was so rewarding to help indigent patients who were denied basic civil rights. During that time, I had an epiphany, and I knew that I would always want to work in service to vulnerable populations for the rest of my life. That is a decision I have never regretted.”
Reaching out to at-risk groups with information on the vaccine
“What we are finding around vaccine hesitancy and education is that for folks who have questions or are skeptical of the vaccine, providing the vaccine in a setting that they are comfortable and familiar with, and using trusted leaders, helps provide an assurance for the process.”
Paying respect to Pride, every day
“At MPMC, we celebrate LGBTQ+ employees and their diversity, along with our LGBTQ+ patients. We pay respect to the LGBTQ+ people and their daily contributions to our world, our organization and our patients.”
Newest federal holiday is her family’s long-held tradition
“It warmed my heart last year when Sutter recognized Juneteenth, a celebration that my family has participated in since I was a small girl. I thought it was awesome, and I’m grateful that Sutter has acknowledged it. So much of Black history is overlooked in the United States.”
Read more on NewsPlus.
Portraits of Pride: feeling the love from Sutter
“It’s so incredible to work for an organization like Sutter Health that participates in Pride. With my family, I took part in Sacramento Pride in the past, too, and it was great to see our Sutter executives there celebrating and walking along side us during the parade.”
Helping provide equitable access to COVID vaccine in Sonoma County
“We’re doing what we can to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in Latino communities.”
Understanding the need for health equity and wanting to help
“I grew up in an underserved community, so I know how someone’s social and economic status and lifestyle can affect one’s health, and their access to healthcare. I’ve always wanted to help people who have been down a similar path or have experienced similar barriers to patient care.’’
The importance of a diverse workplace
“I stand here on the shoulders of the many women before me, and I want to be that for others. One of the many reasons I appreciate working for Sutter is because of our commitment to diversity. The many strong women leaders we have at Sutter, like President & CEO Sarah Krevans and Jes Cornelius, our Chief Information Officer, are inspirations to me.
“I believe that by creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace, we create an environment for our employees to thrive and do their best work.”
An encouraging word from the front line of the pandemic
“I’m encouraged by the attention being placed on the importance of community and public health. The notion that if we don’t take care of our most vulnerable, we’re not safe ourselves. I hope we can retain that focus when all this is over.”
He’s dedicated to preventing stroke in Black Americans
“Stroke can be prevented in Black Americans. We need greater access to healthcare and treatment of underlying medical conditions. Getting better access to healthcare and managing risk factors for stroke can mitigate the risk of stroke dramatically for African Americans.”
Feeding the community and reducing food waste
“It’s really exciting to take uneaten food that would have ended up in the landfill or compost and now redirect our surplus to help feed people in our community. Our team has taken a proactive approach to this wonderful cause, and I’m really proud of how staff have embraced the process to reduce food waste.”
Giving back to the community every holiday season
“When we went to Sutter Senior Care/PACE last year to hand out the gifts, you can see how excited the participants get—it tugs at your heart strings. PACE is such a great program, because it allows seniors to stay engaged in their community and with other people.”
Helping to feed the community during the pandemic
“It’s always a treat for us to be able to work alongside the people who make these programs possible and safely interact–at a distance, of course!–with members of the community receiving nutritious foods for their families.”
Bringing mammography screenings into the community
“Finding breast cancer at its earliest possible stage is critical to survival, and early detection through regular mammograms remains the best defense against the disease. As a breast cancer survivor, this cause is very personal to me.
“The mobile mammography van will provide screenings to hundreds of women each year, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured.”
Cycling to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation during the pandemic
“People continue to suffer from joint pain and dysfunction, which has been having a serious impact on their sense of well-being during the pandemic. While the pandemic deserves significant mind share at this point, the importance of motion and the problem of arthritis continues.”
During the pandemic, mobile mammography unit takes screenings to the community
“Because of business-related shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, there’s a screening backlog. Many women who are past due for breast cancer screenings will be able to take advantage of this convenient mobile screening service.”
A new way to feed the community and reduce food waste
“It’s really exciting to take uneaten food that would have ended up in the landfill or compost and now redirect our surplus to help feed people in our community. Our team has taken a proactive approach to this wonderful cause.
“I’m really proud of how staff have embraced the process to reduce food waste.”
He honors service members, including his son
“When my family and I participated in past years with Carry the Load, we were doing it for our son, who was deployed with the U.S. Army Reserves to Afghanistan and Kuwait. Our participation helped solidify honoring him, as well as all past and present heroes. It brought us closer to the sacrifices our heroes make daily.”
A donation during time of COVID-19 crisis
“Our physicians are committed to giving back to our community. Now more than ever, we’re proud to support programs that help the homeless and other vulnerable populations in our community.”
Patients and community are her family
“Working in the community where I live, I am able to care for patients with a sense of familiarity. I relate to parents and children because I have small children of my own. I can offer my advice on local providers–and also relate to our patients when it comes to schools, restaurants, stores and so on. I feel like I am a family member of the patients in my community.
“I love seeing familiar faces outside of work as well as every day in the office. I try to make all feel welcomed, appreciated and cared for every time they walk in.”
Bringing along the next generation
“I have been a radiologic technologist since 1981. As a thank you to my profession and my community, I have established an endowed mammography scholarship at Cabrillo College, where I long ago took my mammography requirements.The first scholarship recipient will be chosen for this spring semester 2020. This will be the third endowed scholarship that my husband and I have established. The other two are for radiologic technology and nursing.
“I have had a very gratifying and successful career in radiology at Sutter, and I am very happy to help students in the allied health field achieve their goals.”
Helping ‘heart kids’
“For the last decade, I’ve been a dedicated volunteer for Angels for Hearts, a local nonprofit whose mission is to bring normalcy to pediatric heart patients, ages newborn to 18, both in and out of the hospital. I am so very proud of the work we do for the “heart kids” at local hospitals, including Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. It’s my way of giving back to our community.”
Fresh produce and glucose monitoring machines
“At the fall family festival, we’ll be providing free fresh fruits and vegetables to active participants. And thanks to the philanthropy dollars raised at previous events, we’ll also be providing glucose monitoring machines and supplies to those in need.
“SGMF has a long history of supporting those in the communities it serves by offering health education services. We’ve placed an emphasis and focus on diabetes—one of the Valley’s prevalent diseases that affects nearly 1 out of every 10 people who live here.” Read more in NewsPlus.
Learning another side of healthcare
“I‘ll be working with people across all lines of healthcare–federally qualified health centers, counties, other health systems–to see what challenges we face and how we can work together to fix them. Erin was recently named one of 32 clinical leaders from California to participate in the California Healthcare Foundation’s Healthcare Leadership Program.” Read more onNewsPlus.
We care for our community and each other
“Our medical imaging team demonstrates remarkable cohesiveness, even in difficult circumstances. This camaraderie compelled me to move from a traveler to a permanent position here, once the option was offered.
“We have dealt with crises, such as the closure of our facility during the 2018 wildfires, when many employees graciously offered their homes for refuge to help those affected by the disaster. This spring, the area experienced flooding and road closures, but we stayed in touch so we could serve our community.
“Every employee in our Imaging department demonstrates our caring touch to patients, and we regularly receive feedback reflecting patients’ gratitude. We care for our community, and we care for each other.”
One ‘work family’ supporting our community
“At Memorial Hospital Los Banos, every team works closely with the others to provide the best possible patient experience. We have a strong focus on safety and quality here, and it shows.
“We’re one “work family” here to support our rural community—and many of our patients become part of that family. This close connection to each other and the community we serve makes every team member a powerful advocate for continuous improvement of our processes and practices without the hesitancy or hierarchy sometimes found in larger facilities.
“From environmental services to physicians, from nutrition services to nursing, we strive daily to be a force for good in all we do for our patients and our community.”
Helping Sutter Gould serve the community
“I have been on the other side of the coin at one time in my life, and once I saw Sutter Gould Medical Foundation’s Operation Backpack drive, I knew I needed to be a part of it to give back. It felt great to be able to rally support and collect as many backpacks as I could from my team.
“I can’t wait to try and raise the bar again next year, and I am grateful to be a part of Sutter and be able to participate in these types of events.” Read more on NewsPlus.