health care

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.

House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act.

Premium increases could make coverage under the Affordable Care Act unaffordable for many households after Jan. 1 and add to the number of uninsured in the San Joaquin Valley.

Up and down the San Joaquin Valley, hospital programs for newly-hired registered nurses are providing a year of additional training and experience beyond what they received en route to their nursing degree.

Farmworkers in the Central Valley often face heightened health risks due to their hard labor, but many don’t have easy access to health care. A group of high-schoolers in Bakersfield are finding solutions on their own.

Nearly a year ago, Madera Community Hospital shut its doors and filed for bankruptcy.

A consulting group was offered up to create a reopening plan for Madera Community Hospital. But KVPR’s Soreath Hok reports the Madera County Board of Supervisors turned down the idea.

The Visalia-area hospital has less than 90 days of cash on hand as it tries to find a path forward amid ’devastating’ financial conditions.

Both counties were already experiencing a surge of patients with respiratory illnesses. But after the Madera hospital shut down, one county was left wondering what happens now and the other tending to more patients than it could handle.

Faced with bankruptcy, services at Madera Community Hospital and its three rural clinics are set to shut down. First responders were already preparing for a deluge of emergencies associated with the looming closure.