Board delays full closure of county X‑ray service, approves one‑year continuation while lab services shift to outside provider

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 9 approved a limited continuation of the county’s in‑house radiology service while moving forward with plans to transition most clinical laboratory blood‑draw services to an outside provider. The board voted 4–1 to continue radiology through fiscal year 2025–26 using one‑time funds and to direct the Health Services Agency to pursue strategies to address productivity and revenue shortfalls and report back quarterly.

The vote followed a staff status report on staffing cuts and financial pressures in the county Health Centers division. Health Services Agency Director Connie Moreno Peraza told supervisors the agency proposed redesigning lab and X‑ray operations after a multi‑year pattern of rising operating costs and shrinking non‑county reimbursement. “We really tried to be as self‑sufficient as we can with our operating expenses,” Moreno Peraza said, describing the department’s reliance on Medi‑Cal…