Santa Clara County urges vaccinations as students return to school

Santa Clara County health officials are urging families to prioritize vaccinating their children as students return to school and looming federal cuts threaten health care funding. Dr. Sarah Rudman, acting health officer and director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, said vaccinations should be at the top of back-to-school lists. Many county clinics which support vulnerable residents rely on funding from Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, are being jeopardized, she said. There were 89,953 socioeconomically disadvantaged students in the county in 2024-25, according to DataQuest, which is operated by the California Department of Education. “Cuts to Medicaid and…