Several South Bay doctors and nurses say they've reached a dangerous tipping point.
The medical professionals gathered at a rally Tuesday and said they are mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. They also demanded immediate changes because they say patients are already paying the price.
"Now we come to you in crisis," pediatrician Dr. Stephen Harris said.
The union for dozens of doctors and nurses said for years it has warned Santa Clara County about chronic staffing issues.
"There is a limit to how far we can be pushed," radiologist Dr. Praveen Anchala said. "We have reached our breaking point."
"Patient health outcomes deteriorate when doctors are overstretched, fatigued and rushed," pediatric Dr. Rachel Ruiz added.
Dr. Gregg Adams said there are just seven trauma surgeons left at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. He said four others left last year, saying they had been overworked.
The doctors and nurses also claim that instead of offering help, the county has asked them to work more hours, on weekends and on holidays.
"How does management respond to this crisis? They say to the physicians and to others, 'Suck it up, work more hours,'" Harris said.
The county declined NBC Bay Area's requests to comment on the allegations.
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Health care workers are facing issues nationwide. Two months ago, the surgeon general issued an advisory, pointing to the mental strain the pandemic has put on health care workers, noting several have died by suicide recently, including a nurse at a South Bay Kaiser and a doctor at Valley Medical Center.
"It’s been a time for a lot of us to really check in on ourselves and on our colleagues," said Adrian Espinosa, co-founder of the Society of Latinx Nurses.
Last year, Espinosa asked friends to stop asking for advice about COVID-19 because the stress was becoming too much to bear.
"I had to do it," he said. "It was a one-time thing that I did. It was hard for me to do because I'm one that loves to help everybody, but I did have to do it for myself because I needed a little step back and little break for me to recollect myself."
Medical professionals said patients coming in for routine surgeries are now sometimes facing monthslong delays.
"I am desperate for help," Adams said. "I think that our physician group is crying out for any sort of support."
