Advocates rally in San Jose for mental health services to be restored

SAN JOSE, Calif. ( KRON ) — Community members and mental health advocates rallied outside San Jose City Hall — ahead of a key meeting with HCA Healthcare, which owns Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose.

The meeting will discuss the hospital's $1.2 million expansion project.

Those who rallied outside San Jose City Hall today are calling for two things at Good Samaritan Hospital. They want mental health services to be restored, as well as a patient protection fund.

Members of the Rescue Our Medical Care Coalition gathered outside San Jose City Hall Wednesday — calling on the owners of Good Samaritan Hospital, HCA Healthcare, to choose patients over profit.

Executive Director of Latinas Contra Cancer, Darcie Green, says that's not what HCA has a history of at the hospital.

"Has repeatedly harmed our community through the closure of their departments, through the stripping of their services. They have just shown such total disregard for patients and residents of our city," Green said.

City Councilmember Pam Foley hosted a meeting between HCA and coalition members Wednesday afternoon. KRON4 spoke with coalition member Joao Paulo Connolly about what the group wants to see as a result of the meeting.

"To talk about how they are going to restore services, bring back acute care beds and what they are going to do to offset some of the harms caused by their pattern of divesting from our community and gutting essential medicine," Connolly said.

He says a patient protection fund will ensure healthcare access for all residents and that mental health needs to be a priority after 18 acute care beds were cut from Good Samaritan last year.

Director of Specialty Behavioral Health at Gardner Health Services Loren Gissible says less care for those struggling with mental health will only result in a higher suicide rate.

"When you close the 18 beds that's less beds going for people who are struggling with acute mental health challenges and these are the most serious challenges that we see," Gissible said. "These are the people that are at risk of dying by suicide."

Good Samaritan responded with a statement Wednesday saying in part...

"Good Samaritan Hospital has been a faithful steward of San Jose's planning process, communicating extensively the benefits and impact of our $1.2 billion proposal and state-mandated seismic retrofit. We incorporated extensive community feedback into the plan submitted to the City Council. We are hopeful the City Council approves our proposal and ensures a vital community hospital meets the 2030 retrofit deadline without risking the hospital's ability to remain operational."

San Jose City Council members are scheduled to vote on the hospital's expansion project on Nov. 19.