County health system to embed integrative medicine into primary care; board asks for March follow‑up

Leaders of Santa Clara Valley Health presented a plan on Nov. 18 to expand evidence‑informed integrative medicine services — including nutrition, lifestyle coaching, mindfulness programming and referral pathways for acupuncture and other complementary services — by embedding them into the health system’s primary‑care medical‑home model.

Health system officials said the approach emphasizes physician leadership in primary care to ensure integrative referrals are clinically appropriate and financially sustainable; they also highlighted existing resources such as dietitians, ambulatory education programs and pilot wellness classes. Dr. Jenny Biller, an OB‑GYN trained in integrative medicine, said many referrals (for example, acupuncture during chemotherapy‑related neuropathy) are already covered when prescribed as medically necessary.

Public commenters — including integrative‑medicine advocates and physicians — urged a faster and broader rollout and asked the system to benchmark what peer institutions are doing. Supervisors supported the concept and asked staff to return to the Health & Hospitals Committee by March 2026 with a timeline, implementation goals and plans to coordinate with public health and the county’s food‑systems efforts.

What’s next: County hospital leaders will develop measurable steps for embedding services into medical homes, identify reimbursement categories and partnerships, and report back to the Health & Hospitals Committee in March 2026.