Health

San Benito County on Aug. 25 reported its first confirmed local case of monkeypox. The case was confirmed through testing at a local Quest Diagnostics Laboratory, says a press release from the county. The infected person is in isolation under the care of a medical...

More than two years after the Covid-19 pandemic started, hospitals and medical facilities throughout the region are still “desperate” for blood supplies for their patients, according to an American Red Cross representative. One way that many people, organizations and venues are committed to helping...

Residents, business owners and other interested parties have until Sept. 6 to submit their input on the proposed expansion of the John Smith Road Landfill, after county officials extended the comment period on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report. The San Benito County Board of...

People who have been exposed to Covid-19 will no longer be required to quarantine under updated public health guidance issued Aug. 11 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those exposed to the virus are now encouraged to wear a mask for 10...

The Gilroy City Council voted unanimously Aug. 15 to voice its opposition to the proposed quarry in southern Santa Clara County, but noted that while such a resolution makes a strong statement, the county is ultimately in charge of the project’s fate. The recent vote...

Following the lead of many counties and cities in California, and in an effort to combat the public health risks associated with youth smoking, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors recently passed an ordinance that prohibits the sale of flavored tobacco. The ban applies...

Police are investigating an Aug. 5 explosion in Hollister that resulted in “life-threatening” injuries to a juvenile, according to authorities. At about 5:40pm, Hollister Police, firefighters and paramedics responded to a report of an explosion causing injury to a minor on Sierra Court, says an...

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital said in a statement that a major national and regional private health insurer is “refusing” to pay the Hollister hospital a fair price for health services. As a result, after Aug. 10, patients insured by Anthem Blue Cross Preferred Provider...

Local registered nurses and the board of directors of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital agreed to a new contract that “includes victories for patients and nurses,” according to the medical employees’ union. Nurses represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United ratified the four-year contract on...

The public comment period is underway for the draft Environmental Impact Report on the proposed expansion of the John Smith Road Landfill—a project that would more than quadruple the size of the local 95-acre landfill. The expansion of the waste disposal facility, located at 2650...