Health

Health

California’s Prop. 1 measure too close to call

While Proposition 1 is too close to call statewide, Santa Clara County voters are broadly in favor of the measure. In Santa Clara County, roughly 55.3% of voters have approved it, according to the most recent election results. But statewide, the measure is barely squeaking by with 50.5% approval. Proponents of Prop. 1 amassed $21...

Santa Clara County nurses rally over pay, working conditions

Santa Clara County nurses are rallying at Valley Medical Center in an effort to bring renewed attention to familiar concerns including pay, working conditions and patient care standards. About 100 nurses and other health care workers gathered Wednesday afternoon at the hospital courtyard, holding signs, yelling chants and calling on county leaders to meet their...

Santa Clara County officials approve phone line for TRUST

The greatest challenge for someone experiencing a mental health crisis is finding immediate access to care that doesn’t involve the police. A Santa Clara County program offers this option, but it’s difficult to reach. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to create a direct phone line to reach the Trusted Response...

Santa Clara County prepares to implement conservatorship changes

Santa Clara County is expediting the implementation of new conservatorship rules for people suffering from severe mental illness and substance use disorders—the process will be complicated and costly. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved establishing a timeline toward implementing changes to Senate Bill 43, a state law that expands the definition of “gravely...

Respiratory illnesses spiking in Santa Clara County

A dramatic increase in influenza-like illnesses and emergency room visits in Santa Clara County has prompted health officials to urge residents to get vaccinated. County data focused on local wastewater readings this month shows a rise in RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, as well as influenza and COVID-19. The concentration of RSV in wastewater has...

Santa Clara County settles dispute over threats to doctors

A prolonged dispute between Santa Clara County and its doctors appears to have come to an end. Santa Clara County has settled an unfair labor practice charge with Valley Physicians Group, a union representing more than 450 doctors in the county health system. The complaint stemmed from letters threatening unionized doctors against striking over stalled...

‘It is immoral’: San Jose community college faculty rally for health benefits

Shouting “What do we want? Health care! When do we want it? Now!” and shaking signs saying, “Part-time faculty are full-time humans,” protestors rallied Friday demanding health care for part-time teachers. Car horns honked as teachers from the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District protested outside the downtown district office. Union members from community college districts...

San Jose teachers demand better pay and health care

Teachers and union members are demanding that one San Jose community college district increase compensation and health care benefits. Dozens of San Jose-Evergreen Community College District faculty and members of its Federation of Teachers union attended Tuesday’s board meeting to push for better health care benefits under the Part-Time Community College Health Insurance Program. Through...

San Jose hospital is losing critical workers

The workers charged with keeping critical medical equipment online at a Santa Clara County-owned hospital are about to be out of the job—and hospital staff fear patients could pay the price. The 17 engineers at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose are members of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 39. But last month,...