Sutter Health Raises over $661,000 for March of Dimes

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sutter Health employees raised over $661,000 in 2012 for the California Chapter of March of Dimes—making the not-for-profit health system the top healthcare fundraising team in the U.S. for the March of Dimes for the third straight year and the top fundraising team in Northern California for the past seven years.

Trish Cruise, R.N. at Sutter Roseville Medical Center is one of the many Sutter Health network employees, including doctors, nurses and other staff, who makes a big difference in the health of babies across Northern California. Trish and her husband, Chris, also benefited directly from clinical resources, toolkits and expertise when they discovered they were expecting quadruplets.

Video: See Trish's personal connection to the March of Dimes

"Sutter Health physicians, nurses and staff inspire us with the creative ways they support March of Dimes in California—from community walks to engaging in our programmatic work and much more. Because of their vibrant spirit and our longstanding clinical partnership, more and more babies are getting the healthy start at life they deserve," said Karyn DeMartini, State Director of March of Dimes in California.

Sutter Health affiliated hospitals lead regionally in women's and children's medical services. Approximately 35,400 babies were born at Sutter hospitals in 2011—more than any other health system in Northern California. To help the more than 53,000 babies born too soon in California, Sutter Health employees helped raise nearly $6 million in 16 years in support of March of Dimes research and clinical efforts.

Longtime clinical partners of the March of Dimes, Sutter Health medical experts also lend their expertise to help develop and participate in many March of Dimes initiatives. For example, clinical experts across Sutter Health helped develop the 39-Week Toolkit, which encourages moms and doctors to work together to avoid scheduling an elective delivery before 39 weeks of pregnancy—unless there are medical reasons to do so. Five states, including California, piloted the toolkit with significant results, and now hospitals across the country use it.

Video: Why the Last Weeks of Pregnancy Count

About Sutter Health
Serving patients and their families in more than 100 Northern California cities and towns, Sutter Health doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health care service providers share resources and expertise to advance health care quality and access. The Sutter Medical Network includes many of California's top-performing, highest quality physician organizations as measured annually by the Integrated Healthcare Association. Sutter-affiliated hospitals are regional leaders in cardiac care, women's and children's services, cancer care, orthopedics and advanced patient safety technology.

For more information about the not-for-profit Sutter Health network, please visit: SutterHealth.org/about/ | www.Facebook.com/SutterHealth | www.YouTube.com/SutterHealth | www.twitter.com/SutterHealth

SOURCE Sutter Health