The wildfires burning throughout Northern California have impacted thousands—including Sutter employees. Tragically, some employees have already lost their homes, while hundreds have had to evacuate. Complicating the situation, many communities are also facing rotating power outages and poor air quality. For employees who have had to evacuate or have lost their home due to the Northern California wildfires, Sutter Health is providing a variety of special programs and services, including: 

Emergency Financial Assistance

Sutter employees who are displaced or who have otherwise experienced a devastating loss from the wildfires are eligible for funds to help cover expenses related to emergency housing, transportation, food and/or clothing.

Disaster Recovery Pay
Sutter is making Disaster Recovery Pay available to employees impacted by the wildfires. This includes up to 40 hours of pay (based on FTE status) for employees who are unable to work due to a mandatory evacuation, and an additional 40 hours of pay (based on FTE status) for those employees who experience greater impacts, like home loss or significant property damage.

Sutter Health Philanthropic Disaster Relief Fund

Sutter Health has activated its Sutter Health Philanthropic Disaster Relief Fund, which provides financial support to help employees recover from the impact of natural disasters and is funded in part through the generosity of other Sutter colleagues.

Lodging Initiative

As a way to support onsite front-line workforce members impacted by evacuations, Sutter Health is temporarily offering free lodging through Airbnb, select hotel chains and Outdoorsy for eligible employees and clinicians who work at patient care sites.

To request any of these services, employees call a dedicated phone number, available on the Sutter intranet, or complete an electronic request form on the Sutter Employee Assistance Program (EAP) website.

Counseling Support

For Sutter employees not directly affected by the wildfires across Northern California, just hearing about them may trigger memories from a past event, leading to fear, anxiety or other strong emotions. Employees are encouraged to contact Sutter’s 24-hour EAP for free counseling support and referrals to local resources, such as emergency housing. Additionally, any Sutter employee or eligible dependent directly impacted by the fires can contact Sutter’s EAP to receive authorization for five additional EAP counseling sessions beyond the number typically provided.

For additional resources and helpful information from such agencies as Red Cross and FEMA, employees may visit the appropriate resource page available on Sutter’s intranet. Employees may also call the Sutter Health Employee Line at any time.