by Liz Madison | Jan 28, 2021
Vitals staffer Gary Zavoral contributed to this story. John Mertens commanded attention with his towering 6-foot-plus frame as he strolled into one of Sutter’s greater Sacramento area vaccine clinics. The 76-year-old retired computer analyst and Vietnam veteran was...
by Ashley Boarman | Jan 28, 2021
When was the last time you had a hug or felt the comforting touch of a loved one? Maybe it’s been months since you shook a colleague’s hand or gave a warm embrace to a friend. Physical distancing continues to be an important public health tool in slowing the spread of...
by Gary Zavoral | Jan 27, 2021
When the World Health Organization first designated 2020 as International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, nursing leaders everywhere saw an opportunity to honor one of the globe’s most trusted and valued professions. What they didn’t see coming was a pandemic that...
by Gary Zavoral | Jan 27, 2021
Vitals staffers Monique Binkley Smith, Ashley Boarman and Emma Dugas contributed to this story. He’s 80 years old and a disabled Navy veteran, but Daniel Morales Jr. got his COVID-19 vaccination this week because, he says, “I’ve still got some good living to...
by Gary Zavoral | Jan 21, 2021
Rebeca Calderon of Los Banos, a rural community in the heart of California’s Central Valley, came to the small hospital in her town barely able to breathe and thinking she was going to die. She tested positive for COVID-19. For most rural residents who are critically...
by Karin Fleming | Jan 20, 2021
While COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out to the public less than a year after official reports of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the United States, there is still no vaccine for another deadly virus that reared its ugly head about 40 years ago, accounting for...
by Liz Madison | Jan 20, 2021
New developments emerge every day with the COVID-19 pandemic. After more than a year, the toll of these changes can have a cumulative effect and weigh on one’s mental health. How can someone stay present and mindful in stressful moments? 1. Get Back into Routines....
by Ashley Boarman | Jan 20, 2021
History provides important lessons for the present and future. The pandemic of 1918-19, called the “Spanish Flu” (which originated in the United States), is a good indicator of what we’re currently experiencing, says Gary Green, M.D., a California infectious disease...
by Sutter Health | Jan 15, 2021
This opinion piece was written by Dr. Stephen Lockhart, the outgoing chief medical officer of Sutter Health. Dr. Lockhart has been instrumental in advancing health equity, not just in Northern California, but throughout the nation. By Stephen Lockhart, M.D., Ph.D.,...
by Monique Binkley Smith | Jan 15, 2021
So you or your loved one were diagnosed with COVID-19. You’re following doctor’s orders, isolating at home and taking precautions to protect other people from infection. But how do you know when it’s time to seek emergency medical attention for COVID-19, or time to...
