The word has spread in Santa Clara County that if you are hurt or sick and have no health insurance coverage, the emergency room will treat you. Valley Medical Center officials have seen a 10 percent rise in the number of patients coming to the er without insurance, which comes out to about 14 extra patients a day. This is causing concern among officials who are working under an already strained budget. In order to budget for the emergency room, the hospital is being forced to cut the budget on other areas such as mental health, nutrition and wellness, and other public health and wellness programs. What can be done to reduce the strain on local hospitals and protect these types of programs?