Santa Clara County Health Articles

While taking responsibility for managing hazardous and biological waste, county officials today said private contractors – not hospital employees – had been hired to handle hazardous and medical waste identified by the DA.

Last week, as the country’s attention was transfixed on the manhunt for the person who gunned down a health insurance executive—which resulted in an outpouring of personal stories about patients being mistreated by the nation’s medical care system—the Santa Clara …

Human flesh and blood. Confidential patient information. Fentanyl.
Santa Clara County’s top prosecutor alleges his investigators found these items and more after a covert, yearlong investigation into illegal dumping by Valley Medical Center, St. Louise and O'Connor hospitals. Investigators in …

Santa Clara County on Dec. 2 launched its new “CARE Court” process, a 24-month program that offers support for people facing mental health challenges and are at risk of becoming embroiled in the criminal court system.

Citing surging demand in emergency room visits, Stanford Health Care is asking the city of Palo Alto for permission to add 70 beds in its hospital buildings, raising the maximum total to 670, according to an application that the hospital …

As the sweeping promises of a new behavioral health court take shape slower than expected across California, Santa Clara County is one of the last to roll it out.
A new civil court process known as the CARE Program — …

The new hospital is set to open in the fall of 2029.

No one at the packed San Jose City Council meeting wanted the West Valley hospital to close or miss its seismic retrofit deadline, but numerous residents wanted city officials to hear their concerns about the company that owns the hospital. …

Leaders across the West Valley are pushing for a greener future in one of the country’s most polluted areas, but it could be more challenging after a controversial ruling on the use of gas.
Campbell and Los Gatos recently explored …

After some trial and error, Santa Clara County just made it easier to request a non-police response for someone in mental health crisis.
Officials have rolled out a direct, 24/7 hotline to reach the Trusted Response Urgent Support Team (TRUST), …

San Jose residents have scored a win in their fight against a $1.2 billion proposal to expand Good Samaritan Hospital after securing a meeting with the hospital CEO over possible community benefits.
Members of the Rescue Our Medical Care campaign …

The County of Santa Clara announced last week that it will be augmenting its substance use treatment services with additional inpatient, residential and outpatient offerings through the Behavioral Health Services Department and Santa Clara Valley Healthcare to serve thousands of …

The San Jose Planning Commission recommended denying plans to expand Good Samaritan Hospital based on its controversial owner — a stunning decision for a hospital that has been part of the community for decades.
Commissioners voted 7-1 recommending against the …

Homeless deaths in Santa Clara County are down so far this year despite an opioid crisis and thousands of people living on the streets.
There have been 159 deaths as of Oct. 6, compared to 169 deaths during the same …

Santa Clara County leaders have approved a $315 million effort to acquire and integrate Regional Medical Center into California’s second largest public hospital system — and restore the lifesaving care a for-profit corporation systematically cut from East San Jose.
While …

A non-native Aedes aegypti mosquito—an aggressive species that can spread certain diseases—has been discovered in a residential area of Gilroy, according to the Santa Clara County Vector Control District. A mosquito of the same species was also found recently in …

People with drug and alcohol problems have for years found refuge at a long-term homeless housing program known as Hillview Court in Milpitas. But for an alarming number of them, the promise of stability and support has led to death. …

Kaiser Permanente plans to rebuild its 50-year old hospital in South San Jose and city officials call it a "win-win" for residents.
The San Jose Planning Commission earlier this month unanimously approved Kaiser's plans to more-than double the size of …

More than 100 apartments for older adults and a medical facility could be coming to Sunnyvale within the next few years.
The Sunnyvale Planning Commission unanimously approved plans for a six-story senior living site and 72,000-square-foot convalescent hospital at 1027-1035 …

Although Santa Clara County was one of the first in the nation to create a behavioral health court, criminal offenders with mental health and drug problems sit in jail for months before getting treatment. That could change this week.
County …