Sutter Health Surgical Team Sends Updates From Haiti

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Sutter Health's 15-member surgical care team deployed to Haiti on Thursday, Jan. 21, following this month's earthquake is now providing updates on its vital work via a personal blog, which launched on Saturday. Relayed back to Northern California by satellite phone and then transcribed, the group's stories and photos appear on www.shhelpshaiti.blogspot.com/.

"I consider it an honor to lead Sutter Health's response to this terrible tragedy," says Toni Brayer, M.D., Sutter Health West Bay Region chief medical officer and lead for the network's donation and surgical team efforts. Coordinating all logistics from her home in Marin, she says, "So many people are suffering, and our team is now able to provide critical medical care."

"We received so many questions from our friends, colleagues and the team member's families about their experiences in Haiti, so we were compelled to share their stories and reports online," says Dr. Brayer.

The effort to send medical personnel to Haiti is part of Sutter Health's larger commitment to relief efforts. The network, comprised of physician organizations, hospitals and other health care service providers, announced last week its largest disaster-relief donation in the history of the health care system—$1.25 million to help the victims of the powerful earthquake.

Sutter Health's team in Haiti includes general and orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, pulmonary acute care specialists and operating room nurses from three of its affiliates: Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, California Pacific Medical Center and Mills-Peninsula Health Services. The group departed Thursday from San Francisco International Airport for a seven-day volunteer effort in Port-au-Prince. Sutter Health's team also transported much-needed medical supplies, surgical equipment and anesthesia medication to Haiti.

Barring communications challenges, you can follow the team's efforts on the blog and on Sutter Health's Facebook page.

Watch the medical team's departure from San Francisco here: http://www.sutterhealth.org/video/news_haiti_medicalvolunteers.html.

Learn more about Sutter Health's $1.25 million contribution to Haiti relief here: http://www.sutterhealth.org/about/news/news10_haiti_relief.html.

About the Sutter Health Surgical Team in Haiti:

Anesthesiologists

• Steve Lockhart, M.D., CMO Sutter Health East Bay Region, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
• John Donovan, M.D., Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
• Vernon Huang, M.D., California Pacific Medical Center

General Surgeons

• Susan Bailey, M.D., California Pacific Medical Center

Orthopedic Surgeons

• David Chang, M.D., Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
• Taylor Smith, M.D., California Pacific Medical Center
• Scott Taylor, M.D., Alta Bates Summit Medical Center

OR Nurses

• Joan Chamberlain, R.N., Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
• Cassie Kinser, R.N., California Pacific Medical Group
• DJ Eadades, R.N., California Pacific Medical Group
• Isaias Camacho, R.N., California Pacific Medical Group

Pulmonary Acute Care Specialists

• Joanne Squire, R.N., California Pacific Medical Group
• Elizabeth Petruzzella, R.N., California Pacific Medical Group
• Christina Crane, R.N., California Pacific Medical Group
• Scott Callaghan, R.N., California Pacific Medical Group

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:

www.SutterHealth.org | www.Facebook.com/SutterHealth | www.YouTube.com/SutterHealth

SOURCE Sutter Health