An increase in seasonal agricultural work and the end of the school year in the San Joaquin Valley are expected to mean more people spending more time working and playing outside – potentially increasing the risk of contracting valley fever.

Legislators and health experts are seeking to combat a common birth defect with one simple ingredient added to staple foods.

Researchers at UC Merced and across California are trying to inform residents about the harmful effects of dust on health and the climate as the volume of dust continues to increase in parts of the state and in the San Joaquin Valley.

California expects to save more than $300 million per year by restricting Medi-Cal dental benefits for undocumented, low-income residents. But advocates say it will come at the expense of broader health concerns and reduced access to care.

Although tuberculosis cases in California have risen and fallen in recent years, the overall statewide total has declined. However, two counties in the Central Valley are reporting an increase.

A new health clinic opened its doors in Merced County. Sutter Los Banos Rural Health Clinic East is part of efforts by the health company Sutter Health to expand its services to rural regions of the state.

In California, a person’s disability must begin before age 18 to qualify for regional center services. Parent advocates say that leaves behind people whose disability started in early adult years, when their brains were still developing.

Officials are encouraging cities to join the regulation effort in light of an unauthorized biolab found in Las Vegas with ties to Reedley.

Health care leaders across the central San Joaquin Valley fear that federal cuts to Medicaid and state reductions in Medi-Cal benefits represent a “tsunami” of changes that jeopardize the financial stability of hospitals and clinics, and threaten residents’ access to care in the region.

Blue Shield spokesperson Mark Seelig said the company insures a “meaningful” number of people in Fresno County and a small portion of Madera County.