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Santa Clara County Health Articles



Image caption: California has tried to pass single-payer health plans before. Is 2022 the year it happens?
Single-Payer Healthcare: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Single-payer healthcare may be the most-discussed but least-understood form of medical coverage. Here’s what you need to know as California considers a new bill for publicly funded universal insurance.

Los Gatan logo LOCAL NEWS
Doctor says Valley Physicians Group helped her survive pandemic

Just as the world was shutting down with the arrival of SARS-CoV-2, a Brazilian doctor named Carlos R. Degrandi Oliveira, penned an article in a peer-reviewed journal that sounded the alarm about a little-discussed at-risk group—anesthesiologists.  On top of day-to-day …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
California Weighs Order Canceling Elective Surgeries as COVID Cases Surge Across State

Throughout California, as COVID-19 infections deplete their staff of nurses, anesthesiologists and other essential workers, hospitals are canceling or postponing so-called 'elective' surgeries to repair injured knees and aching back, remove kidney or bladder stones, and repair cataracts or hernias, …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Supervisors Identify Mental Health Crisis, Decide to Study It for 3 Months

In calling for a better coordinated effort to respond to a crisis in mental health services, supervisors voted unanimously to ask county staff to begin 'systemwide planning' to address mental health issues and shortages in the mental health care workforce.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Newsom proposes budget with Medi-Cal expansion

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his proposed 2022-2023 state budget Monday, including a proposal to extend health care coverage to every low-income resident in the state. The proposal would expand access to Medi-Cal, the state's version of Medicaid, to all residents …

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FDA expands booster eligibility to ages 12-15

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended its emergency use authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine Monday, allowing children ages 12-15 to get a booster vaccine dose.  The FDA opened booster vaccine eligibility to everyone age 16 and up in November, …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
California Extends Indoor Mask Mandate until Feb. 15 as New Infections Soar

Masks must be worn in all indoor public places in the state regardless of vaccine status, the state Department of Public Health said in a Jan. 5 evening post on Twitter.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Boosters required for healthcare workers

Healthcare workers and others in “high-risk” settings must receive their Covid-19 vaccination booster by Jan. 24, the Santa Clara County health officer announced Dec. 28. Under the new local health order, workers must be up-to-date on their vaccination (both fully …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Mayor Wants to Require COVID-19 Boosters for All Employees and All City Facilities

Mayor Sam Liccardo's proposed mandate would make San Jose the first city in California to require booster shots.

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
‘Deluge’ of Omicron Virus Is Coming, Santa Clara County Health Officials Warn

To be fully up to date with COVID vaccine protection, people need to have a booster shot, said County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody.

The post ‘Deluge' of Omicron Virus Is Coming, Santa Clara County Health Officials Warn appeared first …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
State Mask Mandate Holds in Santa Clara County, but Not in Five Others

Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, and Sonoma counties said their rules won't change, despite the month long statewide mandate that went into effect Wednesday morning.

Image caption: The Omicron variant spreads twice as fast as the highly contagious Delta variant.
What is ‘Omicron,’ and What’s California Doing About it?

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 …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Increase in COVID-19 Cases in South Santa Clara County Outpacing Other Areas

The quantity of SARS-CoV-2 genes, the virus that causes Covid-19, has doubled in Gilroy over the past two weeks, according to samples taken from the South County Regional Wastewater Authority.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Sewer sludge shows rise of Covid

Wastewater readings in Gilroy show a rise of Covid-19 that is outpacing other areas of the county, possibly indicating a post-Thanksgiving surge in cases to come. The quantity of SARS-CoV-2 genes, the virus that causes Covid-19, has doubled in Gilroy …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Equitable Access to Abortion Services is Not a Guarantee in San Jose, Despite ‘Haven’ of Options

While Silicon Valley is seen as a haven for abortion services by medical professionals and legal experts, gaps still exist online and on billboards across the South Bay.

The post Equitable Access to Abortion Services is Not a Guarantee in …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
California’s Biggest Nursing Home Owner Faces Lawsuit over 24 COVID-related Deaths

Shlomo Rechnitz is the Los Angeles-based, multi-billionaire owner of Brius, which owns two nursing homes in Santa Clara County, Cupertino Healthcare & Wellness Center and San Jose Healthcare & Wellness Center, plus five in Alameda County and one in Contra …

Image caption: 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

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.

Image caption: A new California law will lower local speed limits and—advocates hope—reduce traffic fatalities.
Can Traffic Fatalities Be Cut to Zero? Here’s How California is Trying

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.

Image caption: Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population

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.

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.