$10 million gift from philanthropists Ted and Pamala Deikel aims to move some of the region’s most vulnerable patients—critically ill newborns and children—faster and more safely to the right level of care

A $10 million gift from Bay Area philanthropists Ted and Pamala Deikel has enabled Sutter Health to launch the Deikel Family Pediatric and Neonatal Transport Program, a new 24/7 network designed to move critically ill newborns and children rapidly and safely to the right level of care across Northern California.

The program connects community hospitals, birthing centers, and advanced pediatric facilities through a coordinated command center. Specialized teams—pediatric EMTs, neonatal and pediatric nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians—will travel by dedicated helicopters and ambulances equipped for infant and child care, allowing treatment to begin the moment transport starts.

Sutter Health president and CEO Warner Thomas called the Deikels’ gift “transformative,” accelerating system-wide integration that might have taken years.

The program is expected to handle up to 3,000 pediatric and neonatal transports annually, including several hundred to the Deikel Family NICU at Sutter’s CPMC Van Ness campus.

For the Deikels, longtime supporters of neonatal services in San Francisco, the initiative builds on the foundation of their earlier philanthropy that helped create the Deikel Family NICU—one of the system’s most advanced environments for fragile newborns. “When you see the love that goes out to these children, it’s hard not to get emotional,” Pamala said. Ted added that ensuring help arrives quickly “in one of the most terrifying moments of a family’s life” is what matters most.

Across Sutter’s 16 hospitals and 7 NICUs, more than 25,000 babies are born each year, with up to 15 percent requiring intensive care. By unifying transport into a single coordinated network, leaders say the Deikel-funded hub can save crucial time and improve survival and long-term outcomes for the sickest infants and children.

The couple’s connection to Sutter runs deep.

Their previous philanthropy helped shape CPMC’s neonatal care facilities, and Pamala’s commitment to families and the arts continues to reflect her creative lens as a designer and Bay Area resident.

Ted, a former Marine and accomplished business executive from Minneapolis, has built and led multiple national companies in retail, credit, and television commerce.

Together, the Deikels have long blended their entrepreneurial success with purposeful philanthropy to strengthen families during life’s most fragile moments.