Critical Safety Net for Most Vulnerable Santa Cruz Residents in Jeopardy

Pajaro Valley Collaborative Raises Alarm Over Medi-Cal Cuts, Urges Community Action to Defend Access to Local Healthcare Services

WHAT:

With Congress considering an $880 billion cut to Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal in California), Santa Cruz County’s healthcare safety net is at risk. Some 90,000 people in the county alone are covered by Medi-Cal, and they and their families stand to lose the very coverage that ensures access to healthcare services — from preventive care to mental healthcare to high-level care for more serious conditions. The cuts threaten to undermine access to care for working families, middle-class households, people with disabilities, and the providers who serve them, including doctors, clinics, and hospitals.

The press conference will address the potential widespread impacts of these proposed cuts on the Pajaro Valley region and serve as a call to action—mobilizing the community to protect vital healthcare services and advocate for those most at risk.

WHO:

Speakers will include:

Donna Young, CEO, Salud Para La Gente

Stephen Gray, CEO, Watsonville Community Hospital & Pajaro Valley Health Care District

Jen Herrera, Assistant Directors of Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency

Devon Francis, MD, Chief Medical Officer & Pediatrician, Salud Para La Gente

DeAndre James, CEO, Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley

WHEN: Monday, May 12, 2025, 11 a.m.

WHERE: Watsonville Community Hospital, 75 Nielson St, Watsonville, just outside the hospital main entrance and lobby 

INTERVIEWS:  Interviews will be available directly following the speakers’ remarks, in both English and Spanish.

About Pajaro Valley Collaborative: 

The Pajaro Valley Collaborative (“PVC”) is a collaboration of 26 nonprofit partner organizations strategically aligned to advance positive outcomes throughout the Pajaro Valley with a priority emphasis on improving health and wellness, economic mobility, and civic engagement.

Partner organizations commit leadership, organizational resources, staff, and time at various levels to address joint priorities. Having responded to public health emergencies and other disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic and severe flooding, the PVC partners are collectively committed to evolving beyond crisis management to form a permanent collaboration to support health and wellness, economic mobility, and civic engagement in the Pajaro Valley.

For more information visit: https://www.pvcollaborative.org/about