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San Benito County Health Articles



Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Hazel Hawkins pulls out of meetings with local governments

Upon receiving a Feb. 27 letter from Nicholas Koffroth, the attorney for the San Benito Health Care District, which advised the district to not participate in the San Benito County Intergovernmental Advisory Committee meetings regarding the future Hazel Hawkins Memorial …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center hopeful feds will reverse Medicare termination

On Aug. 12, 2022, a man arrived at the trauma unit of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose bleeding from multiple stab wounds to his wrist and abdomen. Doctors determined that he had stabbed himself with a …

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Nurses rally in Hollister

A small group of registered nurses rallied outside Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Thursday in support of adequate staffing at the Hollister medical facility, which is currently facing a financial emergency. “(We are) focusing on safe staffing,” said Pedro Silva, an …

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Hazel Hawkins gains $3M loan from state

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital recently received a $3 million loan from the state, according to hospital officials.  The loan comes from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority. The loan will allow the Hollister hospital to extend the timeline it needs …

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Hazel Hawkins to close home healthcare department

In an effort to cut costs as Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital (HHMH) faces a potential bankruptcy, the San Benito Health Care District Board of Directors voted Jan. 6 to close the hospital system’s home healthcare department.  The board’s vote was …

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Hazel Hawkins, Anthem reach payment agreement

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and Anthem Blue Cross announced this week that they have agreed on a new contract that allows patients insured by the company to maintain “in-network access” to the local hospital’s services, services and providers, says a …

Image caption: Explaining California is hard work! But at California Local, we were up for it throughout 2022.
Explaining California in 2022: Our 10 Best Explainers of the Year

2022 was a year that needed a lot of explaining. And California Local was there. Here are our 10 most important explanatory journalism stories from the year gone by, from immigration to cryptocurrency to wealth inequality and more.

Image caption: Migrants wait in line while California border activists organize the group to enter the U.S. and seek asylum through the Chaparral entryway in Tijuana, Mexico on Dec. 22, 2022.
Border Scramble

The Supreme Court is keeping in place, for now, Title 42 — the pandemic policy that OK’d migrant expulsions. California has yet to figure out how to meet the needs of an influx of migrants when it does go away.

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Hazel Hawkins seeks $10M loan from county

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital—whose administrators earlier this year declared a state of fiscal emergency—recently requested $10 million in the form of emergency bridge funding from the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, according to the Hollister hospital.  The hospital sent …

Image caption: The Israeli drugmaker Teva is one of three manufacturers experiencing a shortage of Amoxicillin.
Amoxicillin: Why the Popular Antibiotic is in Short Supply

Amoxicillin, the most widely prescribed antibiotic, is suddenly in short supply just as a wave of respiratory illnesses is sweeping California. What is causing the sudden shortage?

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Flu tests available at San Benito County sites

As of Dec. 5, flu tests are available at OptumServe sites in San Benito County—along with PCR and rapid antigen tests for Covid-19, according to county authorities.  The flu and Covid-19 are currently on the rise as a surge of …

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Hazel Hawkins continues to seek financial solutions

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital issued a statement Nov. 28 assuring its employees and patients that the Hollister facility’s staff and other experts engaged by the hospital are “pursuing multiple angles to resolve” its current fiscal emergency. HHMH also emphasized that …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Flu, Covid, RSV transmission increasing across state

Transmission of the flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus is increasing statewide simultaneously and could lead to overwhelmed hospitals this winter, one of the state's top health officials said Thursday. Covid test positivity and case rates have climbed by roughly …

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Nurses raise concerns about Hazel Hawkins

Registered nurses at Hollister’s Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital are “deeply concerned” about the medical facility’s recent declaration of a fiscal emergency and potential bankruptcy, says a statement from the California Nurses Association.  The nurses fear what a Chapter 9 bankruptcy …

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Hazel Hawkins declares fiscal emergency

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital’s directors last week declared a fiscal emergency that allows the Hollister medical facility to file for bankruptcy if such a step is deemed appropriate, according to the hospital. Hazel Hawkins’ board of directors declared the resolution …

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Hazel Hawkins ends contract with CEO Steve Hannah

The Board of Directors of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital this week announced their decision to end the hospital’s contract with CEO Steven M. Hannah, effective Oct. 14.   “The Board talked it through from every angle and reluctantly decided this new …

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Covid-19 testing site reduces hours starting next week

Starting Oct. 16, a local Covid-19 testing service will change their hours of operation in San Benito County. Mobile testing services will remain available at various locations throughout the week.  The OptumServe clinic will offer its Covid-19 PCR and Rapid …

Image caption: California traffic deaths remain high, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Why Zero Traffic Fatalities Remains a Distant Goal

California’s goal of zero traffic fatalities remains distant. Here are some common causes of deaths on the road that can be fixed, but haven’t been.

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
State launches website for reproductive care

A new website is now available for anyone who is seeking reproductive care in California, the governor's office announced Sept. 13. The new abortion resource website, abortion.ca.gov, provides information regarding privacy rights, abortion steps, types of abortion, how to find …

Image caption: Help is available for people who feel like they’re falling apart.
Finding Peace of Mind

Feeling stressed? Confused? Or just a little blue? Help is just a phone call away for residents of San Benito County.

Featured

A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI
Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.
States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health.
California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained
Here's the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.
Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population
How local government tries to control the world’s deadliest wild animal—the mosquito.
Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained
But even in California, access to abortion services in many areas remains limited.
The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here
The making of Gov. Newsom's plan to help get mentally ill Californians into treatment.
Help is available for people who feel like they’re falling apart.
Finding Peace of Mind
Find help from these websites, telephone hotlines and organizations
Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California
Californians live longer than people in all but three states, but not all counties are equal.
From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis
In a state that declares water a “human right,” more than 2 percent of its residents have no drinkable water.
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