San Benito County Health Articles

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital staff Dec. 20 were presented with Certificates of Appreciation from the staff of the Master of Science Physician Assistant Program at California State University Monterey Bay. HHMH has partnered with CSUMB for their Physician Assistant Program …

San Benito County public safety and health officials are sounding the alarm about the dangers of fentanyl—a powerful opioid—after a recent and ongoing spike in drug overdoses. In the last three months alone, 17 people in San Benito County have …

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital announced this week that effective Jan. 1, the hospital will be formally designated by San Benito County Emergency Medical Services as a Level IV Trauma Center. Not only has Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital met or exceeded …

Omicron is a new variant of the COVID-causing coronavirus that has now arrived in California and is causing fears of a new pandemic wave. What is it? Why are people so worried? And what, if anything, is California doing to …

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

The power of community outreach support between the San Benito Health Foundation and Youth Alliance is having a positive outcome in their outreach for a healthier community.  The ongoing vaccine outreach movement is a commitment to bettering the community by …

A new California law to lower speed limits, AB 43, is part of an overall effort, called ‘Vision Zero,’ to eliminate traffic deaths completely. Here’s what the law does, and why it can make a difference.

The pesky mosquito can be deadly as well as annoying. Here’s how local governments in California have been waging war on mosquitoes for more than a century.

Sam Quinones, whose last book dealt with the opioid epidemic, talks to the LA Times about his new work on the twin perils of fentanyl and meth.

California will soon add a new emergency hotline service with the number 988. Here’s the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.

Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health, even to suspend laws and commandeer private property. Here’s why, and how it works.

Noise is a form of pollution that threatens public health like any other type of environmental pollution. Here's what federal, state and local governments are doing to quiet things down.

The state of California, as well as some local governments, will soon require all public employees to be vaccinated against COVID. Here’s why they’re taking that step.

Mask requirements appear to be on the way back in California, including for fully vaccinated people. Here's why.

The delta variant and often lagging vaccination rates are putting California in new danger from COVID-19.

A new report reveals that only 20 counties have complied with a law requiring release of workplace COVID outbreak data.

A Superior Court Judge has placed at least some limits on the governor's power to impose health-related restrictions. Here's what that means.

In June, California was a success story. Less than a month later, the state was in crisis.