Santa Clara County has reached an agreement to purchase Regional Medical Center. This comes after its current owner, HCA Healthcare, decided to downgrade its trauma center. There’s also a sense of relief for the people in the community said they feel like their voices have been heard. “This is such a win for everyone in the community, particularly for the residents of east San Jose,” said Darcie Green. Green is one of many who showed up to rallies over the last several months with the hope of keeping the trauma center at Regional Medical Center open. San Jose Aug 27, 2024 Santa Clara County moves forward with plan to buy Regional Medical Center Santa Clara County Aug 21, 2024 Santa Clara County to pursue acquiring Regional Medical Center Nearly a year ago, NBC Bay Area learned that HCA healthcare planned on closing its trauma center services in August of last year. That sparked a campaign to keep it open. In July, the hospital said the trauma center would stay open but it would downgrade from a level 2 to a level 3 trauma center. But it wasn’t enough. Santa Clara County officials moved to purchase regional medical center. “It’s a very densely populated area and the downgrading of the level 2 trauma center would have been a death sentence for the residents of East San Jose,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong. Come Apr. 1, Santa Clara County is set to take over operations after agreeing on a $150 million purchase. “We will be in a position as the county government to restore regional as a trauma center and we will be able to do so on day one,” said Santa Clara County executive James Williams. The county said it’s now working to onboard the hospital’s employees to the county system and it expects a smooth transition. But it’s not just about the trauma center. The county plans to bring back more services in the future. “Afterwards, we begin to bring back stemi and stroke services that were actually taken away,” Duong said. “And then, to also bring back the maternal infant care services that regional had at one point.” Community members feel the county’s decision to purchase the hospital is saving lives. “Every minute counts, its crazy to think that our community in eastside San Jose, already experiencing so many health disparities, would have to travel farther, so, its life saving,” Green said.