Mercy Medical Group was one of just a few physician organizations in California to receive the 2020 Excellence in Healthcare Award, California’s top honor for provider organizations, from the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) for its top performance in clinical quality, patient experience and cost measures.

By now, most of us have fallen into some sort of routine and are doing our best to protect ourselves, our families and community from COVID-19. We wash our hands, we wear a mask in public, and we physically distance. Even though we know the CDC guidelines, it can be difficult to know when and how to apply those guidelines to our everyday lives. Two Dignity Health Medical Group physicians, Zachary Brewer, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Syama Varudu, MD, an Internal Medicine physician with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group, share the best practices that they use every day.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase education and awareness around a disease that affects women of all ages and ethnicities. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S., second only to skin cancer. Close to 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. 

Joelle Jakobsen, MD, FACS, a general surgeon and breast cancer specialist with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group in Folsom, and Carmichael Calif. and Daniel Herron, MD, director of Women’s Imaging at Dignity Health Advanced Imaging, shared helpful information on breast cancer and mammograms.

Health officials in California are concerned about this year’s flu season as vaccinations among children up to 18 years of age have plummeted by more than 40% since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, now more than ever, parents should consult their child’s pediatrician to ensure their child is vaccinated and protected.

Danton Kono, MD, a pediatrician with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group in Citrus Heights, shared some valuable information on vaccines and why a flu shot is especially important this year.

For people with underlying heart conditions, monitoring your health is incredibly important, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group clinics are safe and open for in-person visits so you don't need to delay your cardiac care.

Zachary Brewer, MD, a cardiac surgeon with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group explains how to identify one of the most common and serious heart valve problems, aortic valve disease, or aortic stenosis. Aortic valve disease refers to severe narrowing or restriction of the aortic heart valve’s opening, reducing blood flow in the heart.