San Benito County Local News: Health


All Local Health News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

Image caption: From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis

Almost one million California residents are forced to drink from contaminated water supplies, or pay for bottled water. Economic inequality makes the crisis worse. What is the state doing to fix it?

Image caption: Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California

Life expectancy in California exceeds all but three other states, but how long you live depends on which county you live in. They're not all equal. Why? The answer may lie in political policies.

Image caption: Help is available for people who feel like they’re falling apart.
Finding Peace of Mind

Feeling stressed? Confused? Or just a little blue? Help is just a phone call away for residents of San Benito County.

Image caption: Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

Image caption: Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population

The pesky mosquito can be deadly as well as annoying. Here’s how local governments in California have been waging war on mosquitoes for more than a century.

Image caption: California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained

California will soon add a new emergency hotline service with the number 988. Here’s the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.

Image caption: States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained

Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health, even to suspend laws and commandeer private property. Here’s why, and how it works.

Image caption: A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI

Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

05/17/2024
Image for display with article titled Salinas Valley Health Opens Cardiology Office in Hollister

The move helps accommodate patients referred by Hazel Hawkins Hospital.

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05/15/2024
Image for display with article titled Newsom Releases Billions for Mental Health Housing Ahead of Schedule: ‘Time to Deliver’

California voters narrowly passed Proposition 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s measure to fund mental health housing. He’s prodding counties to use the money quickly.

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05/13/2024
Image for display with article titled County Celebrates New Ambulance Fleet at Saint Louise Regional Hospital

A fleet of 12 new ambulances dedicated to transporting patients among the county’s hospitals and medical offices was unveiled at Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy on May 9.

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05/13/2024
Image for display with article titled Tri-County Collaborative Receives Grant

The $1.28 million will be used for education programs, data surveillance and services aimed at preventing fentanyl overdoses.

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05/13/2024
Image for display with article titled Maintenance Causes ‘Manure-Like’ Odors Near Hollister Plant

The city sent a cease-and-desist letter to San Benito Foods following complaints.

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05/09/2024
Image for display with article titled SB County Gets State Grant to Fight Opioid Epidemic

The Tri County-Collaborative has received a state-funded grant to help in efforts to battle the ongoing opioid epidemic in the Central Coast region, the group announced this week in a press release.

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05/08/2024
Image for display with article titled Local Walnut Farm Tied to E. Coli Outbreak

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention issued a food safety alert regarding an E. coli outbreak linked to organic walnuts sold in bulk by Gibson Farms, Inc., of Hollister.

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04/26/2024
The number of organizations submitting proposals for the management or ownership of Hazel Hawkins dropped down to three before the April 29 deadline.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

04/24/2024
Newsom-backed bill would allow Arizona abortion providers to practice in California as the Republican-led state restricts access.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

04/21/2024
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new ad blasts GOP efforts to make it harder for people to leave states with abortion bans and seek treatment elsewhere.

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04/17/2024
Image for display with article titled San Benito Health Foundation Receives $1.3M Grant

The office of California 18th District Rep. Zoe Lofgren announced this week that the San Benito Health Foundation will receive $1,385,218 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for healthcare centers in San Benito County.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/17/2024
Water suppliers say the costs will be massive, with rates increasing for many consumers. Known as the “Erin Brockovich” chemical, hexavalent chromium is found statewide.

California Local Pin Marker From Benito Link...

04/16/2024
Local resident Robert Bernosky announced a plan to initiate a recall of San Benito Health Care District Board member Josie Sanchez.

California Local Pin Marker From California Healthline...

04/16/2024
Chinese Hospital, located in the heart of this city's legendary Chinatown, struggles with many of the same financial and demographic challenges that plague small independent hospitals in underserved areas across the country.

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04/12/2024
The City of Hollister has issued a cease-and-desist demand against San Benito Foods due to odors from wastewater operations.

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04/11/2024
Representative Zoe Lofgren announced $1.4M in federal funds have been allocated to the San Benito Health foundation.

California Local Pin Marker From EdSource...

04/09/2024
These professionals provide essential services, but their pay and working conditions do not reflect their value, and their health suffers.

California Local Pin Marker From Benito Link...

04/05/2024
The union representing Hazel Hawkins nurses organized a rally, calling for hospital management to drop its bankruptcy appeal and focus on services.

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04/04/2024
Image for display with article titled Hospital Board to Appeal Bankruptcy Decision

The San Benito Health Care District announced that it is planning to appeal the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s ruling that denied the district’s Chapter 9 filing for Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.

California Local Pin Marker From Benito Link...

03/29/2024
The San Benito Health Care District board unanimously voted to appeal the decision to deny Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
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