\u201cSanta Clara Valley Medical Center has been quite remarkable,\u201d Koski, 46, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThe nursing staff has been \u2026 so compassionate, like dear friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
The federal spending bill passed last summer stripped Medicaid funding, known as Medi-Cal in California, by $1 trillion over the next decade \u2014 the largest cut in the program\u2019s history. The cuts have caused Santa Clara County to lose $1 billion a year<\/a>, requiring leaders to reduce services and shrink programs<\/a>.<\/p>\n The rehabilitation center, which is part of the county\u2019s public hospital system, continues to see a growing number of patients and referrals despite belt tightening.<\/p>\n The county hospital system is the only option for Silicon Valley\u2019s low-income and uninsured patients. Half of the system\u2019s patients pay through Medi-Cal, and one in four of the county\u2019s nearly 2 million residents are Medi-Cal enrollees. The rest pay through a mix of other means and Medicare, a separate federal program serving patients 65 and older and patients of all ages with certain disabilities.<\/p>\n Dr. James Crew, chair of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at the hospital, said federal cuts have not resulted in cutting staff or downsizing the program. But this year they are seeing more patients on a daily basis. Last year, 900 patients received care at the center.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve just found ways to become more efficient with the staffing that we have,\u201d Crew told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cOur team has done a fabulous job of maintaining quality outcomes while we\u2019ve seen higher volume.\u201d<\/p>\n Crew said it\u2019s possible that the rehab center is seeing more Medi-Cal patients from other regions due to the strain the federal budget has put on hospitals, he said.<\/p>\n The rehabilitation center\u2019s reputation draws patients from across the West Coast with complex injuries. There are few surrounding counties that provide the same specialized care.<\/p>\n Crew surmises more patients have been referred to the hospital due to the quality of care and the specialty the center offers in treating spinal injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cThere just aren\u2019t too many programs in the region that have the expertise within their teams to manage those patients,\u201d Crew said. \u201cSo we do see a lot of out of county referrals, and we really try our best to help those patients.\u201d<\/p>\n The 64-bed rehabilitation center at VMC provides a full suite of services, including treating people with strokes, spinal cord injuries and brain damage. It has been helping patients recover from neurological injuries since 1970.<\/p>\n The center has a gym with specialized equipment, and even rooms that simulate an apartment so that patients can regain the motor skills to cook and move around.<\/p>\n \u201cThe residents of Santa Clara County should be proud that their very own public hospital system has been recognized as having one of the best rehabilitation centers in the nation,\u201d Santa Clara Valley Healthcare CEO Paul Lorenz told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThe professionals at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center handle complex and clinically challenging cases every day and deliver exceptional and compassionate care to each and every patient, without exception.\u201d<\/p>\n VMC is one of four hospitals<\/a> under the county\u2019s healthcare umbrella, alongside Regional Medical Center<\/a>, O\u2019Connor<\/a> and St. Louise Regional<\/a> hospitals. Together, the county\u2019s network of 15 clinics and four hospitals make up the second-largest county-owned public health system in the state.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think the federal government has dictated to us what we\u2019re going to do and how hard we\u2019re going to try to get the best outcome for every patient,\u201d Crew said. \u201cI think we\u2019ve done a really good job of just sticking to that as our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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