Health News > Our public health coverage starts with the pandemic and digs into issues like mental health, drug use and disparities across the county.
We answer your questions about COVID-19, the vaccine, where and how to get tested and more.
Months after closure, leaders of Santa Cruz homeless services nonprofit unanimously quit
Future of MHCAN building, program is unclear
10 meals under $10: The best cheap eats in Santa Cruz County
Sushi, tacos, chow mein, beef stroganoff all on the menu
Free food in Santa Cruz County: The definitive guide
Meals, groceries, pantries and more
Watsonville Hospital races to find solution as financial woes deepen
Hospital losses for 2025 could top $14 million
How to get free food in Santa Cruz County as food stamps set to run dry
Local food banks brace for surge amid federal shutdown
Federal shutdown threatens food assistance program for thousands of children in Santa Cruz County
Tariff money, new bill hope to provide relief
Report: 21,000 Santa Cruz County residents could lose health insurance by 2028
Thousands of Santa Cruz County residents set to lose health insurance or see premiums double
New study finds 29% of Santa Cruz County pregnancies near harmful pesticides
Plus: Watsonville activist completes 30-day hunger strike after brief hospitalization
How to get a 2025-26 COVID vaccine in Santa Cruz County
New state law means most health plans cover the shot
Watsonville Hospital seeks to add Mixtec doulas, but challenges remain
Doulas could bridge language barriers in care
Watsonville hunger striker breaks fast after hospitalization
Pajaro Valley schools bar hunger strikers from campus visits
‘Pretty dire’: Food banks and CalFresh users brace for federal cuts
Tightened eligibility for food stamps could strain nonprofits
Day 11 pesticides hunger strike: fatigue, lack of concentration setting in
Watsonville activists to go without food for 30 days
Watsonville activist plans 30-day hunger strike against pesticides
Activists to rally against pesticides at Sunday event at Barrios Unidos
Santa Cruz Planned Parenthood clinic closure leaves residents scrambling
Plus: Where to find care
Santa Cruz County syringe exchange adopts needs-based, mobile approach
Fewer discarded needles help prompt policy change
Federal Medicaid cuts could threaten Watsonville hospital’s revival
More uninsured, fewer patients could hurt finances
How pesticides endanger pregnant farmworkers in Pajaro Valley
Residents speak out about health harms, lax regulations
County could scale back proposed health cuts
Layoffs remain in budget
Unhealthy tap water at farmworker housing prompts fixes
Installed filter system lacks county permits to operate
New soil tests start after Moss Landing battery fire
UCSC scientist urges health monitoring