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Santa Clara County Health Articles



Image caption: Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in support of Prop. 1 during a press conference at the United Domestic Workers of America building in San Diego on Feb. 29, 2024. Voters narrowly passed the measure.
Newsom Releases Billions for Mental Health Housing

California voters narrowly passed Proposition 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s measure to fund mental health housing. He’s prodding counties to use the money quickly.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
County Celebrates New Ambulance Fleet at Saint Louise Regional Hospital

A fleet of 12 new ambulances dedicated to transporting patients among the county’s hospitals and medical offices was unveiled at Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy on May 9.

Image caption: The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

Hilltromper Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Tips on Ticks for Lyme Disease Awareness Month

Partly due to global warming and the proliferation of ticks, Lyme disease is the fastest growing infectious disease in the US. Here’s how to protect yourself.

Los Gatan logo LOCAL NEWS
El Camino Health Opens Los Gatos Mental Health Clinic

Blended with the soft guitar plucks wafting through the large courtyard of the low-rise Los Gatos building near the border with Campbell, there was plenty of optimism Saturday morning, as El Camino Health unveiled its new intensive outpatient clinic.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Silicon Valley Deluged by Health Care Workers’ Labor Fights

A wave of labor disputes is hitting Silicon Valley’s overburdened hospitals as health care workers reach their breaking point with pay and working conditions.
Resident physicians working in county hospitals are protesting for higher wages in front of Santa Clara …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Kaiser Doctors in Silicon Valley Move to Unionize

Frontline physicians at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara County plan to unionize, and are the last Northern California group within the giant private hospital system to make the move.
More than 400 resident and fellow physicians across the Northern California …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Public Health Department Conducts Door-to-Door Survey in South County

Over the next few days, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department will be conducting a door-to-door survey in Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Domestic Violence Cases Overwhelm Silicon Valley Prosecutors

Santa Clara County is experiencing a surge of domestic violence cases, spreading county prosecutors thin and holding up court hearings at a time when a looming budget deficit will cut District Attorney resources.
The DA’s office has pulled prosecutors from …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Wants State to Stop Trauma Center Closure

Santa Clara County leaders are calling on state officials to stop a for-profit hospital from closing one of the county’s only trauma centers.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to send a report to the state on the …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Nurses Threaten a Second Walkout

Thousands of nurses across Santa Clara County’s strained and overburdened public hospital system may go on strike again — just weeks after taking to the picket line.
Contract negotiations between county management and leaders with the Registered Nurses Professional Association …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
State Finds San Jose Lacks Accountability With Homeless Spending

San Jose has until September to formulate a succinct plan on how it will address homelessness and begin publicly reporting spending data, according to an audit requested by a local legislator.
The California State Auditor has published its findings and …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Is San Jose One of the Healthiest U.S. Cities?

San Jose has made the top 25 in a nationwide healthiest city survey, but advocates say deep inequities still persist.
San Jose ranks 22nd in a study compiled by personal finance outlet WalletHub, which pitted 182 of the nation’s most …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Nurses Go on Strike at Saint Louise, County Hospitals

Hundreds of nurses who work at Saint Louise Regional Hospital are on strike, joining the picket line with their colleagues represented by the Registered Nurses Professional Association. The healthcare workers are protesting alleged unfair labor practices exhibited by their employer, …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
East San Jose Trauma Center Closure Could Break County Hospital System

The closure of East San Jose’s only trauma center puts the entire Santa Clara County public hospital system in jeopardy and threatens the survival of east side residents suffering a heart attack, stroke or other catastrophic medical event.
That was …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Nurses Announce Three-Day Strike Beginning April 2

The nurses’ union says county management failed to bargain in good faith around working conditions and safety issues that impact nurses and patient care.

Los Gatan logo LOCAL NEWS
Saratoga Doctor Saves Lives in Gaza

Children consoling one another amidst loss. A ragged man offering cookies outside a field hospital. Words of comfort from a colleague, as he shed a tear for a mother's grief.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Nurses Set to Strike Over Working Conditions

More than 3,000 Santa Clara County nurses are at an an impasse with county officials and are headed to the picket lines over pay increases and workplace conditions.
The Registered Nurses Professional Association plans to strike from April 2-4, with …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Not Diverting 911 Calls to Mental Crisis Hotline

San Jose is struggling to divert 911 calls related to mental and emotional distress away from police, despite the county adopting the 988 mental crisis hotline two years ago to handle those situations.
A recent report shows county mental health …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Pushes to Expand Police Alternative for Mental Health Crises

Weeks before the San Jose City Council sat down to discuss this year's budget, advocates and residents sounded the alarm about gaps in mental health services and asked officials to expand access to a non-police response program.
Councilmembers on Tuesday …

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.
Many organizations in Santa Clara County can lend a helping hand.
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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