Photo (L to R): Ted Deikel, Pamala Deikel, Nicole Krohn (Pamala’s daughter), Sutter Health CEO Warner Thomas, and Sutter’s CPMC CEO Hollie Seeley

A transformational gift from the Deikel Family supports Northern California’s smallest patients

By Rachel Lee, Vitals contributor 

What is the one thing every human being on this earth has in common?

The answer is simple. Every one of us, across every continent and every generation, was born into this world.

Childbirth is ancient and present, continuing every minute of every day. Sometimes a baby arrives on schedule, ten fingers, ten toes, everything going as planned. And sometimes, the universe has other ideas.

For families facing complications during pregnancy or birth, what follows can be fear, urgency and a race against time to reach the right level of care.

That reality is what inspired a transformational $10 million gift from Ted and Pamala Deikel to establish Sutter Health’s new Deikel Family Pediatric and Neonatal Transport Program.

“We are profoundly thankful to the Deikel family for this transformational gift and for their trust in Sutter Health,” said Warner Thomas, president and CEO of Sutter Health. “Their generosity reflects a deep belief in our not-for-profit mission and in the meaningful impact we can create together. With their support, we can strengthen care for our youngest patients and their families.”

Rooted in a deep love for babies and families, their gift will rapidly connect critically ill newborns and children to the specialized care that gives them the best chance at survival and lifelong health.

“When you see the love that goes out to these children, it’s hard not to get emotional,” Pamala said. “We’re very proud of it.”

Each year, more than 25,000 babies are born at Sutter hospitals. Between 13 and 15 percent require specialized NICU care. In those moments, minutes matter.

“A few hours can make the difference between life and death,” said Dr. Terri Slagle, neonatologist and former chair of pediatrics at Sutter’s CPMC.

Yet across Northern California, pediatric and neonatal transport has historically been fragmented, with hospitals operating independently rather than as a coordinated regional system.

“Every minute after birth is critical,” said Dr. Loc Le, neonatologist at CPMC. “Getting a baby stabilized and transported quickly can completely change their trajectory.”

The Deikel family’s gift makes that change possible.

Philanthropy made it possible to move quickly and build the program at scale, accelerating what might otherwise have taken years to achieve.

Building a Regional Lifeline

The new program creates a fully integrated, 24/7 regional transport network serving Northern California.

Specialized teams will deploy by ground and air across Northern California, including helicopters equipped specifically for infants and children. Teams will operate in both the Bay Area and the Central Valley, supporting continuity of care from bedside to bedside. Each team will include pediatric EMTs, nurses, respiratory therapists and a medical director with specialized transport expertise.

The program will be coordinated through Sutter Health’s centralized Command Center, enabling real-time clinical decision-making and rapid deployment.

Across its network of 16 hospitals that deliver babies and seven NICUs, Sutter Health cares for more than 592,000 children for birth to adolescence each year.

The goal is clear: ensure babies and children reach the right facility based on medical need, not simply geography, whether at Sutter Health or another specialized center equipped to provide the care required.

For Dr. Conrad Vial, president of the Sutter Health Network, the program reflects what distinguishes Sutter’s integrated model of care.

“It fulfills the promise of a truly integrated system,” Dr. Vial said. “Lots of systems talk about that, but not too many actually walk the walk.”

With expanded capacity, the program is expected to enable 2,000 to 3,000 pediatric and neonatal transports annually, including hundreds to the Deikel Family NICU in San Francisco.

“This gift opens access,” said Allison Duignan, executive director of the CPMC Foundation. “It ensures that babies and children get to the right place for the care they need, not just the closest place.”

Expanding Access to Advanced Neonatal Care

The Deikel family’s long-standing philanthropic leadership helped establish CPMC’s Deikel Family NICU, one of the region’s most advanced centers for neonatal care. In 2024 alone, the NICU cared for 582 babies, including some of the most medically fragile infants in Northern California.

In spring 2026, the NICU will be launching a Small Baby Unit designed for extremely premature infants born as early as 22 weeks.

“We are dedicated to caring for the most critically ill and tiniest patients,” said Hollie Seeley, RN, CEO of CPMC. “This extraordinary gift enables us to provide critical care to newborns right from the moment they enter the world.”

Seeley, who previously served as a flight nurse, understands the stakes firsthand.

“Time matters,” she said. “Traffic does not stop emergencies.”

For Ted Deikel, the decision to invest in this next chapter was built on trust and partnership: “I’ve had 12 years to see who I’m working with,” he said.

His reasoning behind this gift was three-fold.

“First, Warner Thomas’s vision and commitment. Second, Hollie Seeley’s experience and dedication to building this kind of program. And third, Pamala’s passion. When you put those three pieces together, it becomes clear why we came to the conclusion we did.”

A Human Beginning

For families like Wendy Armstrong’s, access to advanced neonatal care is not abstract. It is personal.

When her daughter London was born at just 23 weeks, CPMC’s NICU became both a lifeline and a place of comfort.

“This place became our home,” Wendy said. “The care team became our family.”

Today, London is healthy and thriving.

“Not all superheroes wear capes,” she said. “Some wear scrubs.”

The Deikels hope this program ensures more families feel that same support when the unexpected happens.

Pamala said she wants families to know, especially in moments of fear, “There’s help. There’s someone there.”

A Beginning That Deserves a Chance

Every human being begins the same way, born into the world. But how that beginning unfolds can depend on whether help arrives in time.

Through their generosity, their partnership with leadership and their unwavering focus on babies and families, Ted and Pamala Deikel are helping ensure that when the universe has other plans, Northern California families are not left waiting.

When minutes matter most, help is already on the way.

To learn how philanthropy can support programs like these and others, contact Anna Schroeder at Anna.Schroeder@sutterhealth.org.