Improving Health and Access

High-quality health care helps prevent diseases and improve quality of life. Helping health care providers communicate more effectively can help improve health and well-being. Interventions to increase access to health care services — like lowering readmission and increasing use of telehealth — can help more people get the care they need.
Number of Training Sessions Conducted by the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project
This measure tracks the number of training sessions conducted.  The Behavioral Health Services Department (BHSD) has sponsored the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project (SCCOOPP) since 2015. The Coalition is comprised of physicians, nurses, community leaders, county partners, community members, parents, providers, treatment programs and prevention practitioners. The Coalition has developed and executed outreach and trainings on the health effects of improper prescription or recreational use of opioids to universities, community colleges which resulted in campus wide mandatory education on the improper use of opioids, high school districts, community-based organizations, treatment programs, community and family members, county agencies, law enforcement agencies throughout the County and residential and outpatients substance abuse providers.
Number of Deaths Due to Overdose at Emergency Departments
This measure tracks the number of deaths due to overdose at Santa Clara County Emergency Departments.  The Behavioral Health Services Department (BHSD) has sponsored the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project (SCCOOPP) Coalition for Santa Clara County since 2015. The Coalition is comprised of physicians, nurses, community members, parents, providers, treatment programs and prevention practitioners.  
Number of Fentanyl Strips Distributed
This measure tracks the number of fentanyl strips distributed.  The Behavioral Health Services Department (BHSD) has sponsored the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project (SCCOOPP) Coalition for Santa Clara County since 2015. The Coalition is comprised of physicians, nurses, community members, parents, providers, treatment programs and prevention practitioners.  
Number of Narcan Kits Distributed
This measure tracks the number of Narcan kits distributed.  The Behavioral Health Services Department (BHSD) has sponsored the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project (SCCOOPP) Coalition for Santa Clara County since 2015. The Coalition is comprised of physicians, nurses, community members, parents, providers, treatment programs and prevention practitioners.  The Coalition has developed Countywide Narcan training with more than 10,000 Narcan kits being distributed through the outreach efforts of the SCCOOPP volunteers and the Addiction Medicine Treatment program staff.
Post-Custody Clients in Treatment Services
The Behavioral Health Services Department measures the number of post-custody clients engaged in treatment services for more than 30 days after being released from criminal justice custody. Clients seeking treatment for more than 30 days correlates to better mental health and substance use treatment outcomes for clients.
School Linked Services
The School Linked Services (SLS) Initiative is administered by the Behavioral Health Services Department in partnership with the 34 school districts, public agencies, and community-based organizations in Santa Clara County to streamline service coordination and family engagement opportunities among students and families. BHSD measures these outcomes through the administration of the Caregiver Feedback Survey to all parents and caregivers who have received service coordination and/or referral through a SLS Coordinator. In addition, SLS Coordinators provide information on student referrals and successful linkages to resources.
Protecting Human Health: Number of Catch Basins Inspected
Vector Control District intends to protect the health of people by addressing unhealthy practices in the environments where people live, eat, and play by tracking the amount of contact with potential vectors and vector-borne diseases. The number of adult mosquito traps set is an indicator of the potential risk to the general public and the number of complaints from the public represents the level of reactive cases the Department responded to.
Protecting Human Health: Number of Larvicide Treatments Applied
Vector Control District tracks the amount of contact with potential vectors and vector-borne diseases. The number of mosquito larvae treatments represent how often the Department responded to that risk. The larvae treatments are instances where a mosquito breeding source was discovered and a larvicide was applied.
Increase in Latent Tuberculosis Infection Treatment Completion Rate
To reduce the incidence of TB disease, the Ambulatory and Community Health Services Department’s public health clinics aim to increase the latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment completion rate to prevent conversion into active tuberculosis (TB) disease. This is measured using the number of completed LTBI treated patients compared to number of LTBI patients in care.
Increase in Viral Load Suppression Rate
The Ambulatory and Community Health Services Department’s public health clinics monitor viral suppression rate in an effort to reduce the infection rate of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and to prevent and control the spread of infectious disease. It is measured using the number of HIV patients who have viral load of <200 copies/mL regardless of the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis.
Improve Comprehensive, Integrated, and Targeted Health Services for Inmate Population
The Adult Custody Health Services (ACHS) works to improve timely access to services for core populations to enable Better Health, Better Care and Better Services. ACHS tracks the number of appointments completed for regular consults and return to clinic consults, types of services provided, and workload of current staffing.
Improve Comprehensive, Integrated, and Targeted Health Services Wait Time for Inmate Population
The Adult Custody Health Services (ACHS) tracks the wait time for regular consults and return to clinic consults, wait times to obtain health services, and types of services provided. Success is being measured through a series of reports on appointment, completions, timely access to services, and quality review of outcomes. Wait times are only calculated for new consults and not return to clinic consults, since return to clinic consults are dependent on provider discretion.
Improving Pre-Hospital Clinical Practices in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
The Emergency Medical Services Department measures (EMS) the rate of Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) in Cardiac Arrest patients. EMS will improve pre-hospital clinical practices in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and monitor the effects on patient outcomes. By providing high performance CPR, the Department’s stakeholders will increase the frequency of the “Return of Spontaneous Circulation” (ROSC). Overall, ROSC should improve with the implementation of high-performance CPR, the magnitude of which will vary based on patient factors.
Protecting Human Health: Number of Food Facilities Inspected and Critical Hazard Violations Issued
The Public Health Department protects the health of people by ensuring safe food handling practices in the environments where people live, eat, and play. Staff visit food facilities throughout the county to educate and enforce the policies and practices of safe food handling. The Department tracks the number of food facilities inspected, and the number of critical hazard violations issued as an indicator to the potential risk avoided to the consumer.
Reduce Diabetes Prevalence in Santa Clara County
The Public Health Department will work to reduce the prevalence of diabetes. The intended goal is to reduce the percentage of individuals with diabetes or at-risk for diabetes by increasing the percentage of individuals who receive recommended preventive care, including screening and access to diabetes prevention programs. The prevalence of diabetes is measured using data collected by the California Health Interview Survey.
Reduce the COVID-19 Mortality Rate in Santa Clara County
The Public Health Department will continue work to reduce the COVID-19 mortality rate in Santa Clara County.  The Department will continue to work to prevent all deaths by focusing on efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 with efforts including vaccinations, disease surveillance, vigorous disease investigation and response, community outreach and education, collaborations with community partners, and protective measures.
The COVID-19 mortality rate is measured by data collected in the County of Santa Clara.  COVID-related deaths are defined as the death records where COVID is listed in one of the 4 causes of death fields and/or the other significant conditions field. Age adjusted rate of deaths with COVID-19 per 100,000 people are presented for trend comparisons.
Reduce the Infant Mortality Rate in Santa Clara County
The Public Health Department will work to reduce the infant mortality rate in Santa Clara County. Infant mortality is the death of an infant under the age of one and is an indicator of maternal and infant health as well as an important marker of the overall health of a society. The infant mortality rate is measured by data collected in the County of Santa Clara, Vital Records Business Intelligence System, California Comprehensive Birth File.
Reduce the Number of Diagnosed HIV Cases
The Public Health Department will work to reduce the number of cases of HIV, which continues to impact the health and wellbeing of Santa Clara County residents. Measurement of new HIV diagnoses reflects not only fewer new cases but also access to testing for those at risk and adequate treatment of individuals living with HIV, thereby reducing their risk of transmission. Newly diagnosed cases will be measured using data collected from the California Enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System.
Increase Surgical Capacity at Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center Hospitals
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center continues to improve coordination among providers, staff, and patients across all three hospitals to increase utilization of surgical capacity within the System. Increasing surgical access and capacity is an important goal as the System recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic to provide timely access to care for the community and improve operational efficiency of the hospital system as patients return to accessing surgical care. The number of surgical cases completed will be utilized as an indicator of increased capacity.
Increase Total Inpatient Days at Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center Hospitals
System growth in patient access and capacity is an important measure of the successful integration of VMC-O’Connor and VMC-Saint Louise within the Health System. Valley Medical Center tracks the average hospital daily census for total inpatient days. This is the ratio of the total number of in-patient days (Excluding newborn) to total number of days in the same period.
Reduce the Percentage of Non-Acute Patients in the Average Daily Census at Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center Hospitals
Reducing non-acute days helps increase Santa Clara Valley Medical Center's capacity for acute care patients, ensures that patients receive the appropriate level of care and achieve the level of independence as appropriate for their needs. This metric is an indicator of their success in providing the appropriate continuum of care and support services to the community, as well as the cost effectiveness of the care they provide. The efforts continue to reduce medical non-acute hospital days by working with community partners to identify and expand capacity and use these resources to find appropriate level of care placements outside the hospital. Average daily census data will be used to measure acute and non-acute patient volume to monitor success in achieving this goal.
Reduce Utilization of Outside Hospitals and Providers
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center continues work toward reducing utilization of outside hospitals and healthcare providers to deliver acute medical services, non-acute care, and other patient care services to assigned or delegated Medi-Cal patients managed by Valley Health Plan (VHP). Outside claims volume are monitored as an indicator of success in providing more integrated care and making more efficient use of internal resources, as well as an indicator of improved access and patient perception in choosing SCVMC as their care provider.
Increase Breast Cancer Screenings
Valley Health Plan (VHP) uses Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) to ensure that healthcare consumers have access to reliable information to better compare the clinical performance of health plans. The Breast Cancer Screening measure evaluates the number of individuals ages 50-74 who had a mammogram in the prior two years. Through HEDIS, VHP monitors the raw percentage score and national benchmark percentile for breast cancer screening compliance.
Pediatric Immunizations
Valley Health Plan (VHP) uses Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) to ensure that healthcare consumers have access to reliable information to better compare the clinical performance of health plans. Through HEDIS, VHP monitors the pediatric immunizations for children and adolescents in their commercial and Covered California Plans. Depending on the product line, requirements for immunizations compliance are measured differently (CIS3 for commercial and CIS10 for Covered California Plans). VHP monitors the raw percentage score and for pediatric immunizations for children and adolescents compliance.
Pediatric Immunizations
Valley Health Plan (VHP) uses Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) to ensure that healthcare consumers have access to reliable information to better compare the clinical performance of health plans. Through HEDIS, VHP monitors the pediatric immunizations for children and adolescents in their commercial and Covered California Plans. Depending on the product line, requirements for immunizations compliance are measured differently (CIS3 for commercial and CIS10 for Covered California Plans). VHP monitors the national benchmark percentile for pediatric immunizations for children and adolescents compliance.