Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dignity Health Medical Groups throughout California have provided over 500,000 virtual visits to patients. It has been exactly one year since our teams took action to rapidly scale virtual care capabilities to continue to safely see patients, meet demand for care, and reduce the transmission of the virus.

World Sleep Day is an annual observance, intended to be a celebration of sleep and to shed light on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education and societal impacts. It aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on individuals through better prevention and management of sleep disorders. It also calls all sleep professionals to advocate and educate the world about the importance of sleep for achieving an optimal quality of life and to improve global health.

Robert Dias, MD, a neurologist and sleep expert with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group, shares his insight on the importance of sleep and some tips for getting better sleep.

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, serving as an opportunity to advocate for gender equality, celebrate the accomplishments of women around the world and highlight women’s rights, including women’s health.

In commemoration of this day, we’re spotlighting women physicians from Dignity Health Medical Groups who have contributed greatly to their respective practices and passing along their professional insight within their specialities in support of overall women’s health.

Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group (MMG) has appointed Peter Valenzuela, MD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). As CMO, Dr. Valenzuela will oversee all aspects of clinical care for MMG and provide strategic leadership to provide high-quality, patient-centric care in the Sacramento region. This includes the performance, recruitment, engagement and wellness of the 480 primary and specialty care clinicians with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group. He will be responsible for patient safety, satisfaction and overall quality of clinical care.

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., impacting both men and women, and most racial and ethnic groups. While high blood pressure and high cholesterol are key risk factors for heart disease, so too are external factors like trauma and stress.

Catharine Malmsten, MD, a Cardiologist at Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group in Elk Grove, shares her insight on how stress and heart health correlate, along with advice on how we can combat stressors in our lives to remain healthy, especially during a pandemic.