Covid Response - Keeping Our Care Connected

When COVID-19 hit, Sutter Health deployed a coordinated response across our integrated network to help protect patients, employees and our community throughout this unprecedented pandemic. From the very beginning, the connected nature of our system enabled the quick adaptation of “normal” operations to meet the needs of the moment – allowing Sutter facilities to care for some of the state’s first COVID-19 patients and create additional critical care capacity to handle potential COVID-19 patient surges.

Our team’s incredible and rapid response illustrates the unique resiliency and capability of Sutter’s integrated network by:

Activating existing crisis protocols, like Sutter’s emergency response team, that enabled real-time coordination across our system and with national, state and local leaders
Shifting critical resources, like ventilators and PPE, to where they are needed most
Expanding care capacity by 200-300% to prepare for a potential surge
Using telemedicine to increase access to critical care, like our rapid expansion of telehealth services and doubled eICU capacity, and provide primary and emergency care to patients regardless of their location
Increase outreach and education in at-risk communities after our health equity analysis revealed Black COVID-19 patients were nearly three times as likely to be hospitalized.

By sharing best practices and using the full breadth of expertise across our integrated network, we are able to respond to ever-changing needs created by the pandemic and develop targeted solutions. This work has helped to reduce hospital stays for COVID-19 patients from an average of 20 days at the start of the pandemic to just over 8 days today and helped to minimize COVID-positive patients’ need for ventilator use. Backed by Sutter Health’s integrated network, our staff and clinicians will continue to serve on the frontlines of this crisis to help protect our patients and communities.

Learn more about how Sutter is effectively navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Find out some of the ways Sutter Health’s integrated network is meeting evolving patient needs and caring for our communities:

Los Banos woman survived COVID-19 thanks to doctors she never met in person

Sutter Health Study Shines Light on COVID-19 Racial Disparities

Hospital ICUs lean on telemedicine amid U.S. COVID-19 crisis

Beyond COVID-19: Making Telehealth More Accessible & Equitable

COVID Response.