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Santa Cruz County Health Articles



Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Will a New Court Program Address Severe Mental Illness in Santa Cruz County?

A state-mandated Santa Cruz County court program started this month to connect services to some people with serious mental illnesses. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> CARE Courts opened in Santa Cruz County this month, offering …

Press Banner logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Cruz County Awarded $8M Grant for Mental Health, Substance Use Services

The County of Santa Cruz has received an $8 million grant from the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Proposition 47 Grant Program to enhance mental health, substance use disorder and diversion services for individuals involved in the …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Protest, Film Target Pesticide Regulations

About 40 people gathered outside the CineLux Green Valley Cinema in Watsonville Friday to protest new regulations by the Department of Pesticide Regulation regarding 1,3-dichloropropene, also called Telone, a pesticide widely used in California.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Norovirus Outbreak Closes Valencia Elementary School; 236 Absent Thursday

Valencia Elementary School was closed Friday after numerous students were sickened by what is likely norovirus. The school will reopen Tuesday.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Watsonville Community Hospital Once Again Under Local Ownership

Watsonville Community Hospital and the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD) announced Friday that the building–and the property that surrounds it–once again belongs to the community.

San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
24/7 Access to Narcan at Mountain Health Center

Santa Cruz Community Health Partners with Central Coast Overdose Prevention to Provide 24/7 Access to Naloxone (Narcan) in the San Lorenzo Valley

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Fact Check: No on Z, the Campaign Against a Santa Cruz Soda Tax

The No on Z campaign mailed at least nine fliers to Santa Cruz voters as of Oct. 18, sent at least five people door to door and blanketed social media and TV with advertisements. (No on Z campaign)
SANTA CRUZ …

KSQD logo LOCAL NEWS
Back From the Brink: Watsonville Community Hospital Two Years After Its Return to Public Ownership • Talk of the Bay

It has been just over two years since the Pajaro Valley Health Care District acquired Watsonville Community Hospital and returned it to public ownership for the first time in decades. But that didn’t happen by accident and in many ways, …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Cruz County Bans Filtered Cigarettes

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that will, in a little more than two years, ban the sale of filtered cigarettes in unincorporated areas of the county.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Cruz County Supervisors to Weigh Ban on Filtered Cigarette Sales

Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings has proposed a cigarette filter ban. (Marcello Hutchinson-Trujillo — Santa Cruz Local file)
Santa Cruz County Supervisors meeting

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Watsonville Community Hospital to Be Bought by PVHD

Watsonville Community Hospital could soon be owned by the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District. PVHD announced a plan to purchase the building and surrounding property, a major milestone in a years-long endeavor to return the facility to public ownership.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Rats, High Rents Plague UC-owned Hilltop Apartments in Santa Cruz

Residents at the UC-owned, 168-unit Hilltop Apartments on Western Drive in Santa Cruz described problems with rats, delayed maintenance and unexplained charges. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local)
Key takeaways

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
“A Watershed Moment:” PVHCD to Purchase Watsonville Community Hospital Building, Property

Pajaro Valley Healthcare District—the public agency tasked with running Watsonville Community Hospital—announced Wednesday that they plan to purchase the building and surrounding property, a major milestone in a years-long endeavor to return the facility to public ownership.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
In-Home Caregivers Rally for Higher Pay in Santa Cruz County

Workers represented by SEIU Local 2015 and other unions wave their hands in support of speakers at a Santa Cruz County supervisors meeting Aug. 13. Caregivers employed through the county’s In-Home Supportive Services program have demanded higher pay. (Jesse Kathan …

Image caption: 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.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Soda Tax Heads to Santa Cruz City Ballot

Soda prices could rise in the City of Santa Cruz in 2025 if voters approve a new city tax. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local)
SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz city voters in November will decide whether to tax the …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara, Santa Cruz Counties Report Measles Exposure

Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties may have been exposed to measles in recent days after an infected person from outside the region visited, according to public health officials.

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Grand Jury Report Scrutinizes Behavioral Health Division

A Santa Cruz County Grand Jury report determined that the Behavioral Health Division struggles to meet the county’s mental health needs, and has neither the fiscal means nor staff resources to do the job.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
SĂ­ Se Puede Breaks Ground for New Facility

An organization that helps men break free from drug and alcohol addiction officially broke ground on June 21 on a new Behavioral Health Center on Miles Lane in Watsonville.

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.
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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