Health

Santa Clara County supervisors —and the public—on Dec. 12 got their first public explanation from county officials on the explosive revelations a week earlier that county-run hospitals had for at least a year illegally dumped medical waste, drugs and patient data into dumpsters. Healthcare officials...

A regional land preservation organization recently purchased a 1,986-acre ranch in west Morgan Hill, pledging to permanently protect the property that includes sweeping views and critical wildlife crossings, as well as homes for native and endangered species.  The Peninsula Open Space Trust announced on April...

This time of year, many of us think about going back to school, for ourselves or for our children or grandchildren. There are all sorts of questions: Who is taking children to school? Do we have the correct supplies? Who is making the lunches?...

Valley Water this week evicted about 60 unhoused people from encampments on two of its properties in Gilroy, and homeless advocates say the residents have nowhere else to go.  “We ask the public to understand that if tents, and people, and carts of belongings begin...

Cristina Cortez earns just $20.70 an hour running dialysis procedures for older patients suffering from kidney failure in the city of Gilroy. Because of her husband’s serious work injury in 2017 and their need to economize, her family of five moved an hour away...

Dr. Sara Cody—a nationally recognized public health official who was a leader and a pioneer in the Bay Area’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic—has announced her retirement from her position as Santa Clara County Health Officer.  Cody has served the county for more than 25...

Recently, I’ve begun to feel very sorry for November. It seems like every year now, just about the beginning of the 10th month, October and December start to battle for supremacy.  In more and more stores, Halloween skeletons battle Christmas trees in one aisle, while...

May is National Bicycle Safety Month, and Gilroy Police are encouraging everyone to participate safely and reminding drivers to be extra alert for more people pedaling and walking on the roads.  “Everyone deserves to reach their destination safely,” Gilroy Police Sgt. Michael McMahon said. “Unfortunately,...

The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office identified those who died in recent suspected fentanyl overdoses at a Gilroy residence as three men in their 50s.  Those found dead Feb. 6 by CalFire paramedics who responded to the home on the 10000 block of Garcia Lane...

Santa Clara County and the union representing nurses at the county’s hospitals and clinics have reached an agreement on a four-year contract, after months of negotiations, failed mediation efforts and a first-ever three-day strike last month. About 88% of the Registered Nurses Professional Association members...