The sun was just rising over Santa Clara Valley Medical Center when nurse Emiko Rivera arrived to begin her shift at the hospital’s burn center.

As one of the few certified burn centers in Northern California, Rivera’s team treats patients from across the region, caring for their wounds while also providing counseling and support to help them return to their jobs or schools.

“Our burn patients come in and sometimes are with us for months at a time with their injuries,” she said. “As a burn nurse, it is being with them day by day, being with their families, providing support in addition to providing their care and building those relationships so that we can have a successful recovery.”

Lately, a pall of uncertainty has spread over the sprawling Santa Clara Valley Medical Center campus.

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