Community Brief
Save Alameda Health System
Fact Sheet
No Cuts · No Layoffs · No Closures
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Alameda Health System, the county's public healthcare system and the East Bay's only trauma hospital, is under threat! Because of budget cuts and poor management, residents of Alameda County are facing an existential threat to their lives with the layoffs of hundreds of healthcare workers and the closure of vital healthcare services, in hospitals that were already understaffed. California is one of the largest economies in the world and home to hundreds of billionaires. The money to maintain these healthcare services exists — it's up to us to fight for it to go to hospitals, not ICE terror and war!
→Alameda Health System (AHS) is Alameda County's public safety net healthcare system
→AHS has a $1.4 billion budget and about 5,000 employees
→AHS consists of 4 hospitals: Highland Hospital (236 beds), Alameda Hospital (181 beds across 3 facilities), John George Psychiatric Hospital (80 beds), and San Leandro Hospital (93 beds)
→AHS emergency departments have over 100,000 ER visits each year
→AHS includes 8 other facilities for skilled nursing, rehabilitation care, and outpatient clinics
→AHS outpatient clinics have over 400,000 visits each year
→Highland Hospital is the East Bay's only Level I Trauma Center — designated by the American College of Surgeons to provide trained staff and equipment for the most complex trauma patients
→The next closest Level I Trauma Centers are:
◆San Francisco General
◆Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose
◆Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto
→Highland Hospital is a teaching hospital, providing graduate medical education residency programs to new doctors
→Alameda Hospital and Highland Hospital are both Certified Primary Stroke Centers, designated by the Joint Commission to provide emergency stroke care
→Most AHS patients live below the federal poverty line
→The AHS patient population is 36.9% Hispanic/Latino, 25.1% Black, 13.9% Asian
→AHS is already under-staffed, with ER wait times often over 6 hours to get a bed
→AHS executives issued themselves $7 million in bonuses over the last two years
→AHS executives spent $6 million on a 3-year office lease at Jack London Square
→HR 1 (Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill") cut billions of dollars to Medicaid (Medi-Cal in CA)
→Starting January 1, 2026, Governor Newsom blocked undocumented residents from newly enrolling in Medi-Cal, denying an estimated 250,000 low-income immigrant adults access to these benefits
→This means public hospitals that treat these patients won't be fully reimbursed
→60% of AHS's revenue comes from Medi-Cal
→AHS expects to lose $100 million/year by 2030
→AHS initially proposed nearly 400 layoffs in December 2025 — notices originally to be delivered on Christmas Eve — then delayed until January
→Layoffs were supposed to be effective in March, deferred again — currently on hold until June 30
→After public outcry and worker organizing, cuts to some departments were rescinded
→142 workers have voluntarily resigned or retired since layoffs were first announced
→Around 200 layoffs currently planned for June 30
→Physicians are concerned the hospital could lose its trauma center designation if cuts go through
→An ad hoc committee of 2 county supervisors (Bas and Miley), union representatives, and AHS execs meets monthly in private — the last (and final) meeting was June 3rd and has not proposed any solutions
→It appears ready to proceed with 187 layoffs
→AHS also planning further cuts to remaining workers:
◆Eliminating cost-of-living adjustments from current contract
◆Increasing healthcare premiums by 10%
◆Unpaid furlough days for workers
→More layoffs coming — "reorganization" announcement July 20; Beilenson Hearing already scheduled for August 25
→Closure of Outpatient Behavioral Health programs — ongoing care for people with moderate to severe mental illness
→Closure of Health Advocates program — serves 3,300 patients/year helping navigate health-related social services
→Cuts to plastic surgery — procedures repairing and reconstructing missing or damaged tissue and skin
◆Would drop 174 cases/year — all complex wounds and exposed bone referrals
→Cuts to care management at Highland and Alameda:
◆Discharge planning, care transitions, and medical social work
◆Cuts to surgery schedulers
→Cuts to housekeeping (EVS) throughout AHS facilities
→Cuts to food service workers
→Cuts to Highland lab and pharmacy
→Cuts to Highland Psychology Clinic
→Cuts to the Bridge Clinic — support for patients with substance abuse related complications
→Cuts to Highland's Infection Control Department and sterile processing workers
→Cuts to Highland Dental Clinic
→Cuts to Eastmont Wellness Clinic and Marina Wellness Clinic
→The possible sale of San Leandro Hospital
→The transfer of John George Psychiatric Hospital to the County
→Highland Emergency Department is already perpetually overcrowded with long wait times
→Highland Hospital is the East Bay's only Level I Trauma Center. If you take a serious fall, are injured in a car crash, are hit by a vehicle, or are stabbed or shot — you will end up at Highland, no matter your insurance, income, or where you live
→70% of Highland's trauma patients are victims of traffic accidents and seniors hurt in falls — this could be any of us, at any time
→Highland is also a stroke center. With a stroke, every minute counts. Every delay increases the risk of permanent disability and death
→Every cut has a domino effect:
◆Less housekeeping means longer waits in the ER, as rooms can't be cleaned fast enough
◆Less case managers means patients can't discharge, and new patients can't be admitted
◆Ambulances are already backed up waiting to offload patients — every new cut creates another bottleneck
→In an emergency, seconds matter. These cuts mean longer waits, crowded ERs, overburdened healthcare workers, slower treatment, and worse outcomes for patients. This will be a death sentence for many of us if we don't take action now!
→Talk with everyone you know. Most people do not know what is happening and will only find out when it is too late
→Share this fact sheet along with other information available at saveahs.org — bring them to your workplace, leave them at cafés, grocery stores, or your local library
→Flyer at farmers' markets, BART stations, in your neighborhoods, and shopping centers — any place where people are gathered
→Send a message to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the appointed Board of Trustees of the AHS — find links to send a pre-written email at saveahs.org
→Together we can make a difference! Contact us for more information on planned outreach campaigns in your area