DA probes County hospital system for illegal dumping: Trash included fentanyl, blood, personal patient information, and human tissue
For release on December 5, 2024
CONTACT:
Bud Porter
Supervising Deputy District Attorney
Environmental Protection Unit
(408) 792-2962
[email protected]
DA probes County hospital system for illegal dumping: Trash included fentanyl, blood,
personal patient information, and human tissue

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the county-run hospital system for illegally dumping waste that included blood-filled vials, confidential patient information, fentanyl, and human flesh.

The DA’s Office will bring a civil enforcement action, on behalf of the People of the State of California, against the County for the violations. The severity of the violations is underscored by the state law that requires generators of medical and hazardous waste—including the County, which runs the state’s second-largest County-owned health system—to manage the waste from “cradle to grave” to ensure its proper storage, transportation, and disposal. For example, biohazardous waste must be segregated in red bags and incinerated or sterilized at high temperatures. The investigation showed that Santa Clara Valley Healthcare’s hospitals did not lawfully dispose of its waste, resulting in tons of contaminated trash.

“The County’s health and hospital system is run with taxpayer dollars,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “The public needs to know what happened, and the County will not get a free pass when it comes to environmental protection and consumer privacy laws.”

Beginning in November 2023, trained DA investigators put on hazmat suits and conducted a series of unannounced waste inspections of the garbage compactors hauled away from Valley Medical Center, O’Connor Hospital, and St. Louise Hospital. The DA investigators were assisted by employees from the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control, which is part of CalEPA. Among the prohibited items they found sorting through the garbage were: human tissue; fluid blood; non-empty vials of prescription drugs, such as antibiotics, anesthetics, and even fentanyl; over-the-counter drugs; liquid and solid hazardous waste items; batteries; e-waste; and hundreds of documents and labels with unredacted personal patient information.
Based on the pattern of violations found during the eight waste inspections, it is estimated that tens of thousands of items of medical and hazardous waste were illegally disposed of in the trash by the three County hospitals in the last year. State law provides for civil penalties of up to $70,000 per disposal of hazardous waste and up to $10,000 per disposal of medical waste. State law also provides for a court to issue an injunction to stop the misconduct.

Any County employee who would like to assist the investigation by providing information about the alleged improper practices described above should contact the DA investigators directly by sending an email to [email protected].

In addition, a separate investigation by the DA’s Office found medical waste and hazardous waste in the garbage compactors at Regional Medical Center, which Santa Clara County has announced it intends to purchase. The DA’s Office is currently in negotiations over that environmental enforcement action with HCA Healthcare, the owner of Regional Medical Center and Good Samaritan Hospital.
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