Transcription
Hello. Good afternoon, supervisors.
Uh my name is Daniel Nelson and I'm the chair of emergency medicine at Santa Clair Valley Medical Center and effectively the enterprise chair for all emergency departments across our county system. I'm here uh today in strong support of the proposed sales tax measure to protect and strengthen healthcare in Santa Clara County.
Even today, demand for emergency care far exceeds our resources. On average, at Santa Clair Valley Medical Center, we operate at 207% of our ED capacity. And there are times when that number surged over 500%. Despite these overwhelming challenges, our teams have delivered more care than ever before, dramatically improving outcomes and access.
But the reality is we are already operating beyond what the current system can sustain. The federal cuts being proposed would be devastating, pushing an already strained system into outright crisis. Not just at Santa Clair Valley, but across all acute care hospitals, emergency departments, behavioral health, maternal care, every part of our safety net would be impacted leading to longer weights, worse outcomes, and avoidable loss of life.
Thank you.