Sutter Health is a major not-for-profit healthcare network serving communities across Northern California. Headquartered in Sacramento, it's an integrated system, meaning it connects hospitals, doctor's offices, and other health services to provide coordinated care for patients.

The story of Sutter Health begins over a century ago, in the wake of the 1918 influenza pandemic. The crisis revealed a critical need for modern medical facilities. In response, a group of community leaders in Sacramento came together to build a new hospital, which opened in 1923.

They named it Sutter Hospital, after John Sutter, a prominent figure in the area's history. This single institution was the seed that would grow into today's extensive network. Over the decades, other community hospitals and medical groups, each with their own local histories, chose to affiliate. This gradual joining of forces created the Sutter Health system that exists today.

At its core, Sutter Health's mission is to enhance the well-being of the people in the communities it serves. As a not-for-profit organization, its earnings are reinvested back into the system to improve care, fund new technology, and build facilities.

Its network is geographically vast, stretching from the Oregon border down through the Central Valley and including the greater San Francisco Bay Area. This coverage allows Sutter to offer a wide spectrum of services.

The organizational structure is built around this integrated model. It's not a top-down corporation but a network of affiliated hospitals, medical foundations, and physician organizations that work together. This structure allows different parts of the network to share resources and expertise while still responding to the specific needs of their local communities.

This approach aims to create a seamless experience for patients, whether they're seeing their family doctor for a check-up or needing complex, specialized surgery.