Health

Thousands of volunteers flocked to the California coast and waterways on Sept. 21 to participate in the 40th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day.   The event, which is the largest single-day volunteer event in the world, according to Guinness World Records, invited eco-friendly volunteers across the...

Three hospitals in the Santa Clara County healthcare system have been repeatedly illegally dumping medical and hazardous waste—as well as confidential patient records—over the past year or more, according to authorities.  Violations observed at the county-owned hospitals—including Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy—include the improper...

Gun violence is a public health crisis in the United States, and an upcoming firearms buyback event in Morgan Hill aims to address the problem by keeping unwanted weapons out of the wrong hands, according to county law enforcement and government officials.  Some of that...

Santa Clara County is steering $15 million into expanding childcare services in the county, officially launching last week a grant program that was approved in February.  Funds can be used by recipients for facility improvements and operating costs, including rent and wages.  The county Board of...

On Aug. 22, the Valley Water Board of Directors allocated additional resources to support greater service and coordination toward cleaning up trash, debris and hazardous pollutants produced by encampments along waterways in Santa Clara County. The board approved two new staff positions, adding to Valley...

On Aug. 12, 2022, a man arrived at the trauma unit of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose bleeding from multiple stab wounds to his wrist and abdomen. Doctors determined that he had stabbed himself with a four-inch knife. After emergency surgery...

Welcome to April! Before we discuss the upcoming month’s tremendous two, let’s quickly check my 2024 New Year’s weight loss resolution. As of mid-March, my loss was 10.6 pounds. I’m working hard, and so are you! Longtime cyclists all know that the fourth month is...

Don't call it a tripledemic—yet.  Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid-19 are circulating this fall, but not yet at the rate that worried public health agencies a year ago.  As we approach the time of winter when these diseases usually peak, around December to February,...

The California Department of Public Health is urging Californians to get immunized against a triple-threat of viruses that are expected to surge in the coming months.  Rates of Covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are expected to spike in the late fall and...

Although farm and food production workers were considered essential workers during the pandemic, many of California's food employers endangered those workers, violating Cal/OSHA's Covid-19 guidelines more often than most industries, a new report said. The California Institute for Rural Studies’ report said farm and food...