Why a Bay Area Man Finally Got the COVID Vaccine
It took 38-year-old Jose Jimenez more than nine months into the country’s vaccine rollout to decide he was comfortable getting the shot. It’s a decision he says was suddenly made easy after spending more than a month in a Bay Area ICU battling COVID-19. “To everyone...
Pregnant People Urged to Get Both Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines
Pregnant people have a lot on their minds. They may worry about everything from “Is my baby developing normally?” to “What color should I paint the nursery?” But many pregnant people may also wonder whether to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu and COVID-19....
How New Teaching Hospital Will Help Growing Suburban Region
ROSEVILLE, Calif. – A new medical residency program is being launched this year in one of the fastest-growing cities in California in an effort to train and retain qualified physicians and medical specialists to care for the burgeoning region. Sutter Roseville Medical...
Editor’s Picks
She Gave Countless Second Chances, Now She Has Her Own
Valerie LaBonte spent the better part of her adult life focused on giving people second chances. Now, at 65 years old, she has received her own second chance—through a program that has helped her break her dependency on addictive pain relievers. Many in Lake County...
Job After Rehab Is an SF Giant Step Forward for Stroke Survivor
Matthew Farruggio is no stranger to overcoming adversity in health and in life. He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 2009, suffered a hemiplegic stroke in 2016 and began using a wheelchair full-time in 2019. “I’ve had some pretty significant physical...
Study: Long-acting HIV Prevention Drug Shows Promise
By Karin Fleming and Monique Binkley Smith, Vitals contributors With COVID-19 dominating headlines, it may be easy to forget about another deadly virus that has killed millions: HIV/AIDS. While there’s still no cure, researchers have made significant inroads on...
‘Flu Has Not Disappeared’: Why Flu Shots This Fall Are Important
Many Northern Californians have focused on the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the delta variant-related surge for the past several months, but infectious disease physicians are warning area residents: “Don’t take the flu lightly.” Jeffrey Silvers, M.D., Sutter’s...
Dive Deeper
Expert Center to Focus on Elusive Disease
By Karin Fleming and Emma Dugas, Vitals contributors For some people, receiving a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis represents the end of a years-long medical mystery, filled with nonspecific symptoms and ineffective treatments. “Misdiagnosis, and consequently late...
Inspired by Mr. Rogers, Pediatrician Sees Flu Shot as Act of Caring
Like many American children, Neel Patel remembers watching “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood” on television nearly every day as a young child. Through puppet shows, stories and songs, Neel learned the value of cooperation and how to make sense of hard topics like death...
By Prioritizing Staff’s Health, Restaurants Prosper Despite Pandemic
For the managing partner of a pair of acclaimed San Francisco restaurants that were forced to temporarily close during the COVID-19 pandemic, the health of the businesses wasn’t the only thing on his mind. It was also the health of his 200 employees. Pete Sittnick,...
Teen Finds Treatment, Then Confidence
By Kathy Engle, Vitals contributor Speaking before hundreds of people at an FDA-sponsored public meeting on drug development for vitiligo, a condition that causes loss of skin color in patches on the face and elsewhere, a shy 16-year-old found her voice. “I used to...