Regional Medical Center restores Level 2 Trauma Services under Santa Clara Co. ownership

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Crucial trauma services are now back at a South Bay hospital more than a year after it was announced they'd be ending. Services like Level 2 Trauma care are back, along with stroke and STEMI care.

At the strike of midnight Tuesday, Regional Medical Center in San Jose fell under the ownership of Santa Clara County and the halted services returned immediately.

The move is being celebrated by both officials and community members who fought to save the trauma services.

"Over a year ago, the east side community heard that trauma, STEMI and stroke services were going to be shut down at Regional Medical Center and this is our hospital. This is the only hospital in the east side of Santa Clara County," said Jaira Jaug, an East San Jose community member and associate director of Care Policy at Working Partnerships USA, "So when we heard that this was happening, we all rallied together."

The hospital's previous owner, HCA Healthcare, said in February of 2024 that it would be closing the services that August due to a decline in use.

RELATED: Santa Clara Co. to purchase Regional Medical Center after trauma services downgraded

In the months after that announcement, community groups and healthcare workers rallied consistently marching with makeshift caskets for 15 minutes around Regional Medical Center; they said it symbolized the extended transport time to get trauma patients to the nearest trauma center.

"Time means, health, it can mean death as well," said Dr. Gloria Jimenez, who worked as a trauma physician at RMC for six years.

"When the center closed to trauma, it was just devastating and when I heard the county was going to purchase, we were optimistic, cautiously, and when we heard that they finally did purchase it, it was incredible," Dr. Jimenez said.

That sale was for $150 million, a process that took 80 days.

Though county leaders and staff worked to make the sale a fast process, county executive James Williams credits the community members who spoke out for driving their work.

RELATED: Vigil calls out SJ health care gaps with this hospital downgrading while another is expanding

"The community here was engaged and showed everyone how much they valued ensuring that Regional can continue to deliver those services," Williams said.

Juag said moving forward, she has high hopes that the hospital can become a hub for health care workshops and preventative care in the East San Jose community.

"I just want this hospital to be seen as a place where the community can come, they can celebrate and organize, learn about how to live a better, healthier lifestyle," she said.

In addition to the trauma services returning immediately, the county also announced that it's working on bringing back labor and delivery care. Those services were halted back in 2020.

The county said that 98% of staff at the hospital stayed on since the ownership transition.