Santa Cruz County Health Digest

The summer COVID surge in California may be finally abating, but people are still advised to get update vaccines in anticipation of a resurgence in the fall and winter.

The Waves of Wellness: Santa Cruz Festival will be held on October 19 in downtown Santa Cruz on Pacific Avenue, Cooper Street and Abbott square.

A California minimum wage law that was delayed amid budget troubles is now set to go into effect Oct. 16. It’s expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of workers.

An estimated 1 in 5 schools has no air conditioning and another 10% need repair. Underfunded schools struggle to keep classrooms cool as heat waves intensify. “It’s a hot mess,” one teacher says.

The public is invited to give feedback to the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County about a possible mobile outreach program to distribute clean syringes and Narcan in an effort to reduce overdose deaths.

In their September 25 meeting, the Pajaro Valley Health Care District board voted to purchase the Watsonville hospital facilities and land.

Santa Cruz County Office of Education's Career and Adult Learning Services is offering a paid instruction and apprenticeship program to help fill the need for dental assistants in the county.

A groundbreaking was held on September 17 for the future Janus of Santa Cruz perinatal center on Pennsylvania Drive in Watsonville.

The California surgeon general is launching a campaign today to spread awareness about health conditions that contribute to pregnancy-related deaths, such as heart disease.

California’s new cap on health care cost increases is regarded as the most aggressive in the nation. It includes potential fines against companies that exceed the limit.

H5N1 bird flu has been reported in three California dairy herds.

Celebrating 50 years, nonprofit health care provider Santa Cruz Community Health will be hosting a fundraising gala at the Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz on Octtober 5.

Lawmakers approved two bills to allow some community colleges to provide bachelor’s degrees in nursing. That’s setting up another conflict with the California State University, which already offers these bachelor’s degrees.

Almost everyone in California has health insurance. That trend reflects about a decade and a half of policymaking designed to expand access to health care. The state’s average uninsured rate has dropped from nearly one in four Californians in 2009 to less than one in ten today.

Data from the office of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff indicates a decrease in local fentanyl-related deaths in 2024.

Pharmacy benefit managers attempt to negotiate cost savings for insurers. California is considering new rules that would require them to pass their discounts on to consumers.

As COVID cases surge, health officials are recommending people take advantage of a recently approved and updated vaccine when it becomes available.

About 4 in 10 Californians are carrying medical debt. Lawmakers are advancing a bill that would prevent that debt from affecting credit scores.

A trio of California Democratic lawmakers say they’re frustrated by high cost estimates that helped kill their health care legislation. Did the Newsom administration inflate the numbers to quietly kill the bills?

Birth centers are popular options for families who want to deliver a baby outside of a hospital. Nineteen of them closed in California in the past decade, deepening the state’s maternity care crisis.

On August 15, Santa Cruz County Health Officials announced the detection of animal tranquilizer mixed with Fentanyl in the local illicit drug supply.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the expansion of a 2022 composting toilet pilot program.

After a July 2023 diagnosis of bladder cancer, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley underwent a year of treatment without missing a single city council meeting. On August 8, he learned his cancer had been eliminated.

The chemical, used for decades, can harm babies’ developing brains. Farmworkers and people living near fields are most at risk. The EPA issued a rare emergency order.

About 80 Californians die every year after contracting Valley fever, a fungal disease that typically affects the lungs. A recent outbreak was traced to a music festival in Kern County.

After years of delay, a new California regulation to protect indoor workers from extreme heat is now in effect.

In partnership with the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Dominican Hospital is participating in a new physician residency program.

The first two human cases of West Nile virus this season were reported in Yuba and Stanislaus Counties.

Santa Cruz County Health officials report that COVID numbers in the county remain high.

State officials have issued an advisory on local shellfish on July 23 and a red tide has been reported off Rio Del Mar and Seacliff beaches.

The California Department of Public Health has issued a warning not to eat recreationally harvested shellfish gathered from Monterey Bay counties.

The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency noted a drop in local COVID rates following a surge in June.