Valley Physicians Group Standing Up for Patient Care in Santa Clara County
Physicians are raising patient care and workplace issues at Santa Clara County’s health and hospital system. We are concerned about things like chronically short staffing, overbooked appointments, and long wait times for specialty services that hurt our patients’ experience and their health. The harmful impact falls disproportionately on lower income communities who rely on the public system for their care.
Our mission is to advance the best clinical care and service for our patients in Santa Clara County regardless of their income, ethnicity or language spoken. We are advocating for improvements so county hospitals like Valley Medical Center can deliver the top quality care our patients expect and deserve.
Learn more about the issues impacting patient care in Santa Clara County.
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County of Santa Clara and Valley Physicians Group Reach Tentative Agreement; Avoid a Strike
The County of Santa Clara and the Valley Physician Group reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The physicians strike, scheduled for November 1 will not proceed, and the tentative agreement will be presented for a vote of approval to the County Board of Supervisors and VPG’s membership.
San Jose Spotlight: San Jose doctors delay strike amid agreement
Becker’s Hospital Review: California physicians reach agreement to avert strike
NBC Bay Area: Doctors reach tentative agreement With Santa Clara County, cancel strike
KRON 4: San Jose doctors delay strike amid agreement
San Jose Inside: Santa Clara County reaches agreement on contract with physicians, Nov. 1 strike canceled
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Santa Clara County Physicians Issue 10-Day Strike Notice with Negotiations at an Impasse Over Working Condition Issues Impacting Patient Care
Santa Clara County public physicians announced an impasse in their contract negotiations over and submitted a 10-day notice for strike to begin on November 1. A strike, if not avoided, is expected to impact most non-emergency and outpatient services in Santa Clara County health and hospital facilities like Valley Medical Center.
NBC Bay Area: Doctors' Union to Announce Planned Strike in Santa Clara County
CBS Bay Area: Santa Clara County doctors' union calling for strike
San Jose Spotlight: ‘Time’s up’: Santa Clara County doctors to strike
Mountain View Voice: County public health doctors announce plans to strike
Becker’s Hospital Review: California physicians plan November strike
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Physicians call on Santa Clara County leaders to address physician well being
Short staffing, heavy patient workloads and other conditions leading to dangerous “moral injury” occurrences in the county’s health and hospital system.
CBS Bay Area: Exhausted, disheartened' Valley Medical Center doctors reach the breaking point
NBC Bay Area: ‘We have reached our breaking point': south bay doctors, nurses demand change
San Jose Spotlight: Silicon Valley doctors demand changes after death of colleague
San Jose Inside: County physicians say working conditions are causing ‘moral injuries’
Becker’s Hospital Review: California physicians urge county leaders to address workplace issues
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Santa Clara County Physicians Vote to Authorize Strike
93 percent of VPG members voted in support of calling a strike if county management continues to negotiate in bad faith on working conditions that impact patient care.
San Jose Spotlight: Santa Clara County doctors could strike over working conditions
San Jose Inside: Public health physicians authorize strike at Santa Clara County hospitals, clinics
Beckers Hospital Review: California physicians authorize strike
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Survey finds many Santa Clara County physicians are planning to leave county employment
A new survey of Santa Clara County’s publicly-employed physicians reveal deep levels of dissatisfaction with the quality of care they can provide for their patients, due to poor working conditions in county hospitals and clinics. As a result, a substantial number of physicians say they plan on leaving county employment in the very near future.
San Jose Spotlight: Santa Clara County doctors ready to quit, survey shows
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Healthcare Workers Step Up to Help Patients During VMC Blackout
VPG physicians, along with nurses and other healthcare professionals scrambled to help patients during a four hour blackout that impacted operations throughout many vital parts of Valley Medical Center including the operating and emergency rooms.
ABC Bay Area: Backup generators fail at SJ hospital during blackouts, leaving workers scrambling for hours
NBC Bay Area: San Jose hospital loses power amid heat wave
San Jose Mercury News: Backup generators failed at San Jose hospital during heat wave, emergency room still closed
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Healthcare Workers Question County's Commitment to Employee Mental Health
A coalition of Santa Clara County healthcare workers, including technicians, nurses, interns, residents and physicians are calling out the county for failing to prioritize employee mental health.
Becker’s Hospital Review: Physicians criticize California county leaders' report on employee mental health
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Primary care doctors at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center asked to prioritize quantity over quality health care
“Doctors said their workload, which started increasing five years ago, coupled with reduced resources and a burned out workforce is hurting patient care.”
San Jose Spotlight: Santa Clara County doctors ‘stressed out beyond belief’
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County management disrespectful and out of touch
“Local doctors say they’ve lost confidence in Santa Clara County leadership after seeing the head executive downplay the death of their colleague.”
San Jose Spotlight: Santa Clara County leader under fire over ‘tone-deaf’ letter
CBS Radio: South Bay doctors call for vastly improved working conditions
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Below standard radiology equipment and facilities
“Physicians and technologists at VMC are sounding the alarm over ongoing worker shortages and decrepit equipment in the radiology department.”
San Jose Spotlight: Long waits, broken machines: The state of San Jose’s Valley Medical Center
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Physicians deliver 3,500+ constituent petitions urging Santa Clara County Supervisors to prioritize high quality healthcare standards
County proposals dramatically harm patient care and safety by reducing the time they receive with their doctors and treating them as units of time rather than real people with valid healthcare needs.
San Jose Spotlight: Silicon Valley doctors decry plan to pay bonuses for seeing more patients