Editor Picks
Why finding a doctor in Merced will get worse before it gets better for most people
Horisons Unlimited Health Care filed for bankruptcy and closed all eight of its clinics, including five in Merced County. About 80 percent of Horisons patients were on Medi-Cal.
Severe weather disasters, health & structural racism: A critical intersection
Protesters carrying swastikas and shouting words of hate are disturbing. But the construction of a community that puts people at increased risk for poorer health and a shorter life expectancy is equally troubling and must be addressed.
Christy Luton struggled with childhood trauma; now she helps others face their demons
So much of Luton’s childhood and adolescence seemed normal to her at the time. Her father mishandling her mother. Her brother coming after her with a metal poker. Her boyfriend with the meth addiction. All normal. It’s a wonder how she didn’t become a statistic herself.
The latest from our community
Merced’s doctor shortage is getting worse. But it’s not a new problem.
For years Merced County has struggled to convince doctors to come live and work in the rural, impoverished Central Valley community, resulting in a ratio of about 45 doctors for every 100,000 residents.
Pharmacists are now poised to ease physician shortage—if only they could get paid for it
A new California law has allowed pharmacists to play a more integral role in managing patients alongside other providers — which could be good news for patients struggling to access doctors. But one major obstacle still stands in the way.
Health Media Jobs & Opportunities: Openings available coast to coast and remote
The Chronicle of Social Change has an opening for a full-time general assignment reporter to cover juvenile justice, child welfare and children’s mental health.
Weakened valley fever bill heads to governor's desk
The California legislature approved a bill Wednesday that would require the state public health department to develop public outreach programs for valley fever, an insidious respiratory disease endemic to Kern County. It next heads to the governor.
A Radical proposal: should health journalists leave the sidelines?
From my vantage point as a former journalist who much admires what reporters can contribute, journalists can play a more activist role and in so doing help improve the health of the communities in which they live and work.
State senators vote this week on valley fever bill
State senators will vote this week on a bill that would enhance valley fever reporting guidelines and mandate public outreach. The aim: to raise public awareness of valley fever, an insidious respiratory disease endemic to the southwestern United States.
Being outside can be dangerous, especially at school
Some Southern California students spend their days in air conditioning, but others are not so lucky even as temperatures reach over 100 degrees. And those hot classrooms can impact kids' ability to learn.
As CHIP funding deadline looms, here’s what reporters should know
September 30 is the deadline for renewing coverage for about 9 million children nationwide, and there's been a flurry of media pieces pointing to this month's expiration date. But, is this federally-funded program really in jeopardy?
