As federal funding cuts put strain on Santa Clara County resources, a nurse navigator program could help buffer some of the losses and expand access to health care. The county began a pilot program in 2024 to triage 911 calls in South County and the West Valley to a nurse call center for non-medical emergencies. Nurses...
Santa Clara County buys site of future health clinic
Don’t lease — buy. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors adopted that maxim with a unanimous vote Tuesday, opting to purchase the property where the county’s new 10-story Valley Health Center campus is set to open this year on Bascom Avenue in San Jose. The health center will expand California’s second largest public hospital system with...
Heart care expands to South Santa Clara County
South Santa Clara County residents with heart issues just got a better shot at lifesaving care. Officials on Wednesday announced the rollout of cardiology care at Saint Louise Hospital in Gilroy and Valley Health Center in Morgan Hill, in a region that’s historically lacked medical access across South County’s huge swaths of farmland and open...
San Jose cuts drug oversight program days after it restarts
San Jose officials have quietly killed a firefighter drug oversight program just days after reinstating it. This comes after a paramedic drug theft scandal exposed patients to tampered narcotics and sparked backlash against funding cuts that originally dissolved the initiative. The program known as Med 30 was deactivated on Dec. 21, the same month it...
Fed cuts force San Jose farm to reduce food aid
A federal program that brought fresh produce from farms directly to low-income families has ended, stripping local farmers of a significant revenue stream and leaving families with one less option. The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) — a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative started in 2021 during the pandemic — provided $1...
Study shows food insecurity highest in East San Jose
During the last 10 days of every month, Julia pulls together whatever scant meals she can with produce from food banks and canned items until her food benefits renew. The 28-year-old, who didn’t provide her last name for privacy reasons, receives about $600 a month in food stamps to feed herself and three children. She...
Santa Clara County nurses speak out against staffing shortages
Nurses are sounding the alarm on staffing shortages at Santa Clara County hospitals that they say are causing delays in patient care. Nurses rallied at county hospitals Tuesday to protest furloughs and dangerous staffing shortages stemming from President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which slashed funding for vital services including Medi-Cal and food stamps. Dozens...
Santa Clara County nurses say furloughs hinder patient care
The chilling effects of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” have caused nurses to be furloughed across Santa Clara County’s hospitals. Dozens of local nurses have been furloughed over the past few months, creating staffing shortages across the entire public health care system, according to nurses and union representatives. They also pointed out furloughs at...
More South County homeless receive health care
Local officials are reporting a sharp uptick in homeless people seeking health services in South County – a trend they credit to successful outreach. South County patient encounters with the Valley Homeless Healthcare Program — which provides mobile and fixed-site primary care, substance abuse and oral health services — have exceeded last year’s totals. As...
Santa Clara County cancer center carries on amid funding woes
The recent passage of a countywide sales tax measure is expected to soften federal funding cuts to Silicon Valley’s largest public hospital system. But it won’t avoid cuts entirely — and places like Santa Clara County’s premier cancer treatment center could still be affected. It’s estimated that roughly 18% of all Santa Clara County cancer patients will be...