SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Sutter Health, a family of not-for-profit hospitals and physicians serving more than 100 communities throughout Northern California, has taken another leap toward community health improvement with the introduction of a comprehensive Internet-based health guide in Spanish. The one-of-a-kind health information library, covering more than 225 health conditions, provides quality health information to California's growing Spanish-speaking population. It can be accessed at http://www.sutterhealth.org/.
Sutter Health is believed to be the first and only integrated health system in California to provide this level of bi-lingual health information online. A membership to the site is not required; access is free.
Physicians and nurses across the Sutter Health network consider the new online guide an extension of Sutter's vital role in creating healthier communities through identifying community needs and filling them. "California has become the most diverse state in the union and Spanish-speaking residents now make up almost half of our state's population," said Francisco Prieto, M.D., in family practice with Sutter Medical Foundation in Sacramento. "These individuals are our patients and we owe it to them to enhance our services to meet their needs."
Others emphasize the importance of a well-informed patient in achieving the best possible medical outcome. "Informed patients make better decisions, but they may find it difficult and confusing to find reliable, easy-to-understand health information," said Gordon Hunt, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer of Sutter Health. Sutter Health has now made reliable health information more accessible, according to Dr. Hunt.
"Since 2001, our hospitals and physicians groups have provided a health information library on their Web sites, with accurate medical information on everything from ear infections to heart disease. Now, for the first time, more than 225 common health topics and an extensive prescription drug guide are made available for free, in Sutter Health's new Spanish-language health library," he said.
Health consumers and patients simply need a computer and Internet connection to access some of industry's best health information on a specific topics, frequently asked questions, exams and tests, treatment, over-the-counter medications, prevention and more. For an information seeker without ready access to a personal computer, most public libraries also offer community access to computers and the Internet.
Sutter Health's new Online Spanish Health Guide was created through a comprehensive topic development, medical review and translation process provided by Healthwise, Incorporated, a nonprofit organization. People make more than 60 million decisions each year with Healthwise(R) information.
All of Sutter Health's English -- and now Spanish -- library health topics are developed collaboratively with medical teams. Topics are selected based on medical prevalence of the health condition, and then expertly translated by native-speakers who have extensive training and experience in translating medical information for consumers. The health information is discussed in everyday language to help ensure maximum understanding by most users. Information does not replace personal attention from qualified physicians.
About Sutter Health
Sutter Health is a family of not-for-profit hospitals and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a recognized, regional leader in cardiac care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, obstetrics, and newborn intensive care, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. Sutter Health and its affiliates offer thousands of low-cost or free community health programs to California's consumers, including the health information library. For more information, visit http://www.sutterhealth.org/.
Sutter HealthCONTACT: Karen Garner, of Sutter Health, +1-916-286-8297, orgarnerk@sutterhealth.org; or Tracy Campbell, +1-916-939-0903, orcampbellcoach@yahoo.com, for Sutter Health
Web site: http://www.sutterhealth.org/
