August 25th, 2025
2 min read
Santa Clara County is one of the largest county healthcare providers in the U.S. It operates three hospitals, with a fourth being added, along with numerous specialty and behavioral health clinics. Although public sector healthcare in the U.S. faces unique challenges – particularly limited resources while competing with private institutions like Stanford and Kaiser – Santa Clara County is recognized for excellence in areas like rehabilitation services.
Khalid Turk is Chief Healthcare Information and Technology Officer of Santa Clara County. He specializes in leveraging emerging technologies, AI, and automation to drive clinical efficiency, operational excellence, and patient-centered innovation.
Turk talks about responsible AI implementation in healthcare, and the importance of the human element.
Bridges and Barriers
“AI is proving to be a powerful tool in healthcare, but we must implement it the right way,” Turk warns. While AI drives efficiencies, human oversight remains crucial to ensure healthcare is delivered ethically and responsibly, respecting both patient and provider needs.
Santa Clara County is incredibly diverse, and its workforce reflects the population it serves, speaking over 100 languages. This diversity helps ensure that patients feel understood and receive care in a culturally competent manner.
The County also focuses on diversity in leadership, particularly when it comes to gender and age. For instance, Turk mentors young professionals, particularly women, through his initiative Exec Presence Online which is aimed at helping them be seen, heard and valued. He stresses that some barriers to advancement are structural rather than individual, and changing environments – including how AI is implemented – can support career growth.
All of this is taken into consideration when AI is deployed in healthcare in Santa Clara County – ethically, without bias, and in compliance with privacy regulations like HIPAA. This is critical, for example, for AI-generated responses for doctors’ messages to patients and AI-driven chart summarization to assist physicians during shift changes. Governance is a priority to ensure these AI-based responses and summaries meet all ethical standards.
AI in Society
Technology is not the end – it is the means. In healthcare, our true goal is improving patient care while reducing provider burnout. AI can help, but only if we govern it responsibly, ensuring it enhances human expertise rather than replaces it.
Khalid Turk, Chief Healthcare Information and Technology Officer, Santa Clara County
AI adoption in healthcare must be cautious, emphasizing patient safety and provider well-being, Turk says. Organizations should focus on why they need AI before adopting it, ensuring it serves a clear purpose.
“Right now, we focus on ‘human in the loop,’” he says. “AI automates workflows, but the final decision remains with the provider. This approach helps reduce doctor burnout and improve efficiency while ensuring patient care remains safe, unbiased, and secure. Governance is key; we didn’t just rush after the gold, we built a framework to make sure AI serves its purpose responsibly.”
With that in mind, Santa Clara County has established strong AI governance to evaluate risks before implementation. Training employees on AI risks, including data privacy concerns, is an essential aspect, says Turk. Ultimately, people – both providers and patients – are the priority, and human oversight is critical.
