Alameda County looks for $10M to stave off health care layoffs and program closures

"The Alameda Health System, which operates Highland Hospital and Eastmont Wellness in Oakland, Alameda and San Leandro Hospitals, and other health care centers across the county, has projected that H.R.1, the Big Beautiful Bill that a Republican-controlled Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed last year, will cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in the next three years."

"At a public meeting Wednesday evening, current and former patients and their relatives said some of the behavioral health programs facing the deepest cuts had saved countless lives. Doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, specialists, administrators, custodians and food service workers painted a picture of a workplace already stretched past capacity."

"During the hearing, Supervisor Nate Miley asked the county administration to try to find at least $10 million to offset some of the job cuts, and proposed a working group of supervisors, AHS executives and labor leaders representing AHS workers to tackle the long-term effects of H.R.1."

Alameda Health System, operating multiple hospitals and health centers across the county, announced plans to eliminate 188 staff positions in response to projected losses from H.R.1 federal legislation over the next three years. A Beilenson hearing drew approximately 100 attendees and over 300 livestream viewers, with patients, staff, and union representatives testifying about the impact of proposed cuts to behavioral health programs and other services. Current and former patients described how these programs had saved lives, while healthcare workers across all levels expressed concerns about workplace capacity already stretched thin. Union organizers criticized executive compensation during layoff announcements. Supervisor Nate Miley requested county administration identify at least $10 million to offset job cuts and proposed forming a working group of supervisors, AHS executives, and labor leaders to address long-term effects of the federal legislation.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org