
Sutter Health Community Reflects on Hispanic Heritage Month
During Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15, 2023) we celebrate the history, cultures, contributions, and achievements of those with Hispanic/Latino heritage in the U.S. In celebration, the Vitals team reached out to members of the Sutter Health...

Clinician’s Latina Identity Shapes Her Approach to Medicine
Passion for Health Equity Meant to Help Improve Future Outcomes of Others At 10 years old, one could say Irene Arroyo-Romero’s fate as a medical provider was sealed. It wasn’t a euphoric epiphany. Instead, it was a destiny sprung from uncertainty, anxiety and fear....

Grant Program Brings Healing to Mother, Son Battling Cancer
Many people are impacted by cancer in some way, whether through a personal diagnosis or knowing a loved with some form of the disease. The Majerus Family understands this impact more than most, as both mother and son battled cancer at the same time. Fortunately, care...
Editor’s Picks
Healthy Lunch Tips to Start the New School Year
For many parents, packing their children’s lunches and snacks can feel like guesswork. Will they eat it, or not? Packing sugary, unhealthy items may often seem like the only way to make sure they eat something during the school day. Dr. Manisha Panchal, a...
A Dose of Comfort Eases Fears During Pediatric Vaccinations
For most children, few things are scarier than monsters in the closet or the first day at school after summer break. But topping the list of kids’ common fears may also be vaccines. That’s why Sutter Health piloted vaccination clinics to support kids who have...
Sutter Hospitals Recognized for Maternity, Patient Safety Efforts
Sutter hospitals consistently achieve some of the lowest cesarean section (C-section) rates in California. This week, 12 Sutter hospitals were recognized by the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS), in partnership with Cal Hospital Compare, for...
Today’s Research is Tomorrow’s Best Medicine
By Karin Fleming with Monique Binkley Smith, Vitals Contributors After Pamela Swint was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019, she looked for treatments to help slow the progression of her illness. Discovering few options existed, she asked her doctor at...
Dive Deeper
2023 Respiratory Virus Forecast: How This Season May Shape Up
What’s your favorite season? Chances are no one says flu. And rightfully so. The chills and fevers, the aches, the coughing and sneezing. The general ICK. As the perennial season nears, clinical experts are here to remind the public of their best defenses against...
Party Celebrates Paws-itive Effect of Facility Dogs for 20 Years
In a scene from the video, a young patient attends the recent "dog party" and finds some alone time with one of Sutter's facility dogs. Watch the video below to see all the fun from the party, find out why the facility dog program is so important to patients and...
NICU Graduate Beats Odds, Heads to Nursing School
by Kathy Engle, Vitals contributor Celena Johnson appears to be a typical 20-year-old working hard to achieve a big dream. She attended California State University, East Bay full time, held down multiple internships and volunteered in her community, all with the...
‘Dairy Fairies’ Newest Addition to Team Caring for Tiny Patients
Dietitian Vanessa Peterson shows a NICU refrigerator where parents can leave their pumped breastmilk for milk technicians to fortify. By Lara Azar, Vitals contributor What do you call a person who visits a hospital’s littlest, most vulnerable babies and takes care...