People are seeking out Santa Clara County’s non-police mental health crisis team more than any other response program. But it’s about to run out of money. County leaders are looking for ways to keep the Trusted Response Urgent Support Team (TRUST) program alive after state funding — which gave the program four years to evolve since launching...
Santa Clara County workers put on leave amid child welfare crisis
Ten Santa Clara County employees are on leave and state officials are tightening their grip as another death in the county’s child welfare system has prompted calls for criminal accountability. The alleged sexual assault and killing of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez — who the Department of Family and Children’s Services placed in the home of a...
San Jose State deaths raise mental health concerns
Editor’s note: The following story contains references to self harm and suicide. San Jose State University has seen two deaths by suicide within a month this year. The tragedies have opened a window into a paradox facing Silicon Valley cities and institutions: addressing public locations that result in self-harm without sparking a “contagion.” The university...
Medi-Cal cuts create problems for Silicon Valley immigrants
Budget cuts to Medi-Cal are threatening the fabric of Silicon Valley’s health care system — and immigrants are among the hardest hit populations. Some immigrants have experienced delays in services, medication cuts, difficulties navigating the new health care landscape and uncertainties about available services. Others have dropped coverage completely for fear of having their information...
San Jose day center CEO helps people with dementia
Maria Nicolacoudis has dedicated her life to building support programs for adults with disabilities and is taking on what could be her biggest challenge: Providing care for the growing population of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Nicolacoudis is CEO of Hearts & Minds Activity Center in San Jose, a unique...
Silicon Valley social workers meet clients in secret due to ICE fears
As fears of federal agent encounters grow and immigrant families avoid leaving home, workers in Santa Clara County are finding creative ways to meet clients in safe spaces. That community effort has formed an underground support network where social workers who are SEIU 521 union members shift visits to odd hours of the night, connect...
Silicon Valley families say CARE Court has failed them
More than a year after Santa Clara County launched a new state-mandated program to treat people with severe mental illness, families claim the system has failed to help them. When CARE Court was first proposed, Gov. Gavin Newsom heralded it as the solution to treat thousands struggling from a serious mental illness through involuntary treatment....
Santa Clara County studies impact of possible rural hospital closure
Santa Clara County is forecasting additional stress on its public health care system — the second largest in the state — if the only rural hospital in neighboring San Benito County closes. A January report from Santa Clara Valley Healthcare estimates the closure of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital — a 25-bed facility in Hollister — would...
Santa Clara County miffed at Newsom’s CARE Court criticism
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Santa Clara County needs to step up its game in treating people with severe mental health issues. County leaders and advocates disagree. At a news conference Monday, Newsom singled out the county as one of 10 that are not bringing enough people through the state-mandated CARE Court system — designed to...
San Jose Islamic center a hub for free medical and dental care
During Ramadan and daily prayer, the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose offers a place for spiritual reflection. It also provides a community hub, voting center and supportive services from food to health care. The center is unique in that it not only provides a food pantry and food distribution, it also offers free medical...