10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 7-13, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS The Watsonville Law Center has provided free legal services for over 25 years on issues including immigration, labor and housing, serving low-income families in the tri-county area of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. “Watsonville, in our name, does not mean that that’s the only service area,” Executive Director Adriana Melgoza says. Nearly 50 percent of clients come from Monterey County, leading the nonprofit to consider opening a satellite office for a couple of years. Now, the organization is actively searching for an office in Salinas to get closer to its clients and provide them with a space where they feel comfortable to ask questions and discuss their cases. Leaders also plan to hire up to five employees including two attorneys and a community engagement coordinator. The new office could be open as early as July. Currently, staff regularly hold clinics in Monterey County but say those are not enough to keep up with the demand. The nonprofit offers walk-in appointments twice a week in its Watsonville office, and up to 150 people show up for those weekly. Demand for services spiked since President Donald Trump was re-elected, Melgoza says. To keep up with the demand, they hired more employees, going from 10 to 16 staffers. “We’re non-federally funded, so we’re able to serve our community regardless of immigration status,” Melgoza adds. The Watsonville Law Center is open to partnering with other organizations and potentially sharing a space. “We know that doing a holistic approach to care for a community member is the best way to make sure the services are maximized,” Melgoza adds. At Your Service Watsonville Law Center plans to expand its physical footprint into Salinas. By Celia Jiménez Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula received its second C grade in a row from independent nonprofit The Leapfrog Group on Wednesday, May 6, despite promises from officials at CHOMP’s parent company, Montage Health, that last fall’s C was due to documentation failures and would rise with the spring report. Although CHOMP’s numbers— taken from data spanning from mid2022 through 2025—did improve in some areas in the spring 2026 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, including effective leadership, hand hygiene and catheter-related urinary tract infections, they fell in others. “Communication about Medicines” did slightly worse and the number of incidences of infections rose in at least three areas: surgical site infections from colon surgeries; MRSA, caused by a type of staph bacteria; and C.diff bacterium. “Patient safety is our highest responsibility. When our performance does not fully meet the expectations we set for ourselves, we believe it is essential to acknowledge it, learn from it and take meaningful action,” according to a statement from a Montage spokesperson. “While our underlying safety performance score has improved since the previous reporting period, we still have more work to do and we take that responsibility very seriously.” Some actions taken include restructuring CHOMP’s Quality Management Department, investing in infection prevention staffing, bringing in subject-matter experts to its Quality Committee and expanding participation in the Patient & Family Advisory Council. “The work is ongoing and we will continue to measure, monitor and report our progress,” the spokesperson said. The Leapfrog report also listed data in areas not used to calculate the grade, reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The data showed slight increases in the number of bed sores and collapsed lungs, as well as in several areas of post-operative complications, including an increase of sepsis. CHOMP, identified by the California Office of Health Care Affordability as one of the highest-priced hospitals in the state, received As in earlier years, then Bs from spring 2023 to spring 2025, before falling to a C last fall. The county’s other large hospitals, Natividad and Salinas Valley Health, have each received two As in a row, with Natividad receiving As since fall 2024. CHOMP has achieved high marks from Healthgrades, a health care comparison database, which evaluates data from Medicare and other sources, focusing on outcomes. (Leapfrog includes in its analysis preventable errors, injuries and safety protocols.) It was recently named by Healthgrades among “America’s 250 Best Hospitals.” Meanwhile, Montage continues to expand its real estate portfolio. Montage Health Properties purchased Carmel Rancho Shopping Center at 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd. for $37.5 million, with plans to build a medical campus in the future. “Purchasing this property allows us to bring services together in a more efficient, lower‑cost setting outside the hospital, which directly supports better access and more affordable care for patients,” says Daniel Chibaya, a Montage vice president and chief operating officer. Montage Health Properties recently purchased the Carmel Rancho Shopping Center, home to a MoGo Urgent Care, for a future medical campus in Carmel. Report Card CHOMP gets a second C grade over patient safety issues as its parent Montage continues to grow. By Pam Marino Adriana Melgoza is executive director of the Watsonville Law Center, which has seen a spike in demand for free legal services. Melgoza has also been a vocal leader for immigrants’ rights. “We still have more work to do.” PAM MARINO DANIEL DREIFUSS
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