Health

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital announced recently it will expand its service line of women’s health services by introducing new physicians to support care in San Benito County. Dr. James Lilja recently joined the HHMH medical staff, adding the specialized field of gynecologic oncology to the...

The San Benito County Behavioral Health Department recently announced the launch of its new community Mobile Crisis Response program, which aims to bring crisis management and support to residents wherever they are.  The phone number for the Mobile Crisis Response Team is 831.902.2911. The line...

San Benito County has drastically increased fines in an effort to combat the scourge of illegal dumping on roadsides, public property and other unauthorized locations.  The new fines, which became effective Sept. 21, are $2,500 for the first offense (previously $100), $5,000 for the second...

Meta has agreed to pay a maximum of $16.68 billion and make major changes to Facebook and Instagram to resolve claims by California and 50 other jurisdictions that the company designed those platforms to addict children, misled consumers about their safety and improperly collected...

A new website is now available for anyone who is seeking reproductive care in California, the governor's office announced Sept. 13. The new abortion resource website, abortion.ca.gov, provides information regarding privacy rights, abortion steps, types of abortion, how to find emotional or financial support and...

A spokesperson for Sutter Health last week denied that the healthcare system is formally seeking to partner with Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.  The statement came in response to questions about a Feb. 3 letter from two representatives of Sutter Health to the Hollister hospital’s governing...

The San Benito County Arts Council, Arts Council for Monterey County, Arts Council Santa Cruz County, San Luis Obispo County Arts Council, Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture and the Ventura County Arts Council announced that the Central Coast Region has been...

Red Cross needs help to avert a blood shortage After a summer of declining donations, the American Red Cross needs the public’s help to prevent a blood shortage. Right now, the Red Cross especially needs type O negative, type O positive and type B negative blood...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 4 approved an allocation of $100,000 for the Community Food Bank of San Benito due to the disruption of funding to CalFresh.  In a press release, the county said the expense highlights the board’s commitment to...

The Central California Alliance for Health last week announced its collaboration with Serving Communities Health Information Organization (SCHIO), one of the oldest and most advanced multi-stakeholder health information exchanges (HIEs) in the country.  The partnership will help Alliance Medi-Cal members and providers in five counties,...