Santa Cruz County Health Articles

Over 30,000 under-resourced adults and children in Santa Cruz County rely on affordable dental care to live full, healthy, pain-free lives.

Proposed cuts by the Trump administration would be devastating for new mothers, children, immigrants, seniors and lower- and middle-class community members, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-19th District), who represents much of Santa Cruz County, told a packed town hall meeting Friday.

Dr. Carmin Powell talks about threats to health care at a March 28 town hall meeting at Cabrillo College. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local)
APTOS >> Federal lawmakers have proposed $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid over the next …

Proposed cuts by the Trump administration would be devastating for new mothers, children, immigrants, seniors and lower and middle class community members, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-19th District), who represents much of Santa Cruz County, told a packed town hall meeting …

Farmworkers handle tarps at a farm near Moss Landing in October 2024. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local file)
WATSONVILLE >> After five years of activism from Pajaro Valley residents and others across the state, California residents can now get …

In response to growing concerns among families, health providers and educators about the rising fentanyl crisis, a collaborative effort is set to take place in Santa Cruz County.

Santa Cruz County Supervisors in February. (Marcello Hutchinson-Trujillo — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz County Supervisors on Tuesday advanced rules to allow marijuana use in cannabis businesses outside the county’s four cities. The move would promote …

While cocktail bars are intended to be places where people go to play, the unfortunate reality is they can also be where predators come to prowl. But Santa Cruz is at the forefront of making bars safer by offering patrons …

The health departments of Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties invite the public to participate in a community survey to gather information about potential health concerns related to the recent battery fires at the Vistra Moss Landing Energy Storage …

The Health Departments of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, are conducting this community survey to learn more about the Energy Storage Facility Fire in Monterey County that started on …

Close to 100 people gathered Saturday in Moss Landing to voice their concern and demand better information about the fire that tore through a battery storage facility at the Moss Landing Power Plant on Jan. 16

Trust is not built on words alone—it is forged through action, teamwork, and empathy. This holds true in times of prosperity, but is even more critical during hardship and crisis. Few experiences unite people like the shared journey from loss …

On this episode of Talk of the Bay host PK Hattis is joined by nurses from Dominican Hospital who staged a picket last week in protest of chronic staffing shortages and a lack of investment from hospital ownership Dignity Health …

It was a sunny day without a cloud in the sky. Mountain bikers passed along a Glenwood Open Space Preserve trail above Scotts Valley High School to the sound of birds chirping.

Santa Cruz County health officers said bird flu has not shown up in the county, but residents should take precaution. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >>  At least 67 people have become infected with the H5N1 …

One day after a group of Santa Cruz County residents collected soil samples from the areas impacted by the Jan. 16 battery storage facility fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant to test for heavy metals, a San Jose State …

The Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) held a public hearing Jan. 16 at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas to address a new draft regulation for Telone, a pesticide also known by the chemical name 1,3-dichloropropene.

IF YOU HAVE tried to bake a cake recently, you might have had a hard time finding eggs. The empty shelves are a sign of the devastating impact of avian influenza, H5N1 or HPAI, on commercial poultry flocks in California.The …

Jacob Sandoval speaks about a state pesticide proposal at a news conference in Watsonville in November. (Ruby Lee Schembari — Santa Cruz Local file)
Hearings on proposed pesticide rules
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will present details of a …

As local governments try to stretch their budgets to accommodate a new wave of mental health cases, a new program is trying to shift the emergency response from uniformed officers to trained mental health counselors. Since the killing by police …