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Valley organizations step up to help vulnerable families, as uncertainty looms over SNAP benefits
Maggie Rojas, a single mother of three, joined a steady procession of visitors Thursday seeking food assistance at The House – a church in Modesto that provides services to those in need. Holding her bike while she waited in line, Rojas typically pedals to The House on Thursdays, after getting her children ready for the…
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Proposed California budget cuts Medi-Cal, CalFresh benefits for undocumented people amid federal pressure, rising costs
Undocumented immigrants in California will bear the brunt of reductions in health care and nutrition programs under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s initial proposal for a 2026-27 state budget unveiled earlier this month. Joe Stephenshaw, director of the California Department of Finance, said in a Jan. 9 press conference that the state’s…
Valley Medicaid recipients, providers face ‘worst case scenario’ under One Big Beautiful Bill passage
San Joaquin Valley residents who rely on Medicaid – either for their own vital healthcare or to take care of loved ones – are facing their “worst case scenario” as they prepare for $1 trillion in cuts to the program now that President Trump has signed the so-called “One Big…
Valley foster care agencies are facing an insurance crisis and possible closure
The nonprofit agencies that serve some of the Central Valley’s most vulnerable youth have found themselves stuck between the proverbial rock and the hardest of decisions. After the largest insurer of nonprofit foster care agencies across California announced it was pulling out of the market and would not renew policies…
Valley residents have the most to lose with planned federal cuts to food stamps
San Joaquin Valley residents already bracing for possible federal cuts to Medicaid could be hit with a one-two punch as Congressional Republicans plan to slash another $230 billion, much, or all, of which could come from the federal food stamps program. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is called CalFresh in California)…
More than half of San Joaquin Valley residents could face ‘devastating’ cuts to health coverage
More than half of the San Joaquin Valley’s population could be bracing for “devastating” cuts to their health insurance coverage as House Republicans decide how to slash some $880 billion from Medicaid. Among Californians, Valley residents have perhaps the most to lose due to the eight-county region’s high enrollment in…
For Valley trans, LGBTQ+ residents, the fear is real but so is the resilience
The Central Valley’s LGBTQ+ community is once again learning what a difference a presidential administration makes. And it’s adapting. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, his administration has unleashed a wave of anti-transgender, anti-diversity and anti-inclusive policies that have made daily life – and legal decisions…
Feds disrupt Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, leaving Valley residents anxious over community health
In late January, Isabel Perez and her team prepared to meet with church leaders, community organization heads and local teenagers at the Public Health Advocates office in Stockton. They gathered notes from ongoing projects, laid out snacks and waited for the group of 25 or so folks to arrive. Perez manages Racial…
‘Anti-immigrant climate’ pushes populations at high risk for bird flu exposure away from prevention, education
As bird flu continues to spread across the San Joaquin Valley, county public health officials are working to stop transmission to humans by focusing on the group most at risk – dairy farm workers. But there’s a catch. According to researchers, a majority of dairy farm workers are immigrants, including many who…
Valley county starts ‘unprecedented’ changes to conservatorship law. Who now qualifies for forced care?
For the second time in a year, Stanislaus County is a testing ground for sweeping changes to California mental health policy. In January, Stanislaus became one of a handful of counties to begin implementing SB 43 a year earlier than required. The new law is aimed at curbing the state’s homelessness crisis,…
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Other Valley Health Stories
‘There’s a lot of anxiety.’ How some Valley schools are addressing students’ mental health needs
Seeking mental health care can seem daunting at any age. For the students of Tracy Unified School District, a new wellness center hopes to make the process easier with services that could extend to the whole family. The TUSD Student Wellness Center opened in October on Grant Line Road in Tracy, providing counseling and therapy…
In the Valley, dental volunteers continue this annual tradition of providing free care to youth
Whether it’s a filling, a tooth cleaning, or giving just advice, since 1982 a team of volunteers has held an event to provide dental help to kids in Stockton who need it most – and free of charge. Local dentist John Reed, a member of the San Joaquin Dental Society, is among those volunteers who…
Black women are at highest risk for pregnancy deaths. How a new California law addresses the problem
Khadija Fox screamed in pain when the doctor forcefully pulled her baby out in a Stockton hospital birthing room years ago. The attending nurse yelled at her to stop screaming, so she did. As a young Black woman in her early twenties with little knowledge of the birthing process, she remembered feeling as if she…
What are Californians’ top health priorities? New poll finds state mental healthcare system ‘isn’t working’
Mental health issues loom large in the minds of California residents as the state enters election season. The annual California Health Policy Survey from the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation revealed that access to mental health care continues to be one of the biggest concerns for people across the state. The annual survey, conducted in…
Napa’s mental health experts (don’t) weigh in on Prop. 1
Today, as California voters decide whether to approve a colossal shift of local mental health funding, Napa’s county and nonprofit service providers are largely silent on whether they support the change, and uncertain what it could mean for the people they serve. Proposition 1, supported by Governor Gavin Newsom, would restructure the state’s Mental Health…
Prop. 1 wins, despite Valley voters’ rejection of mental health funding overhaul. What happens now?
Despite being roundly rejected by Central Valley voters, Proposition 1 has passed by a razor-thin margin statewide, which means counties across California will begin the process of overhauling their mental health services in an effort to fight the state’s chronic homelessness crisis. The Associated Press called the race Wednesday night as officials continue to count…
This medical team helps Stockton’s most vulnerable residents. Here’s how they’re making an impact
Deborah Scarbone momentarily ditched her walker a few months ago. It held her back when she lunged to catch a palm-sized white chihuahua-mix puppy being thrown at her from a moving car on Feather River Drive in Stockton. She decided to keep him, and named the dog “Cane.” The dog’s another mouth to feed, but…
San Joaquin Valley asthma patients facing flare-ups with these winter weather triggers
National recognition is usually cause for celebration. For Stocktonians, being called out for air pollution and asthma rates is not a badge of honor. The city has been named an Asthma Capital by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “It’s not something anyone’s proud of,” said Jazmarie LaTour, Director of Little Manila Rising’s Decreasing Asthma Within…
San Joaquin County extends another $4.5M to improve care at SJ General Hospital
San Joaquin General Hospital on Nov. 1, 2023. Photo by Vivienne Aguilar San Joaquin County taxpayers will continue to pay for managerial and administrative changes made within the General Hospital in French Camp. The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Oct. 24 to spend another $4.5 million to extend a Management Services Agreement partnership with Dignity…
UC Merced to oversee $18M in funding to boost health education in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties
MERCED, CA — A regional collaborative in the northern San Joaquin Valley has been awarded $18.1 million to boost career options for prospective students in the fields of healthcare and education. The WE Will! Collaborative, a project spearheaded by UC Merced, was awarded the money by the California General Services Department’s K-16 Educational Collaborative Grant Program during its…
California’s San Joaquin Valley has a therapist shortage. Here’s how a university hopes to change that
Stockton’s University of the Pacific has launched a new master’s program to help address the region’s ongoing shortage of mental health professionals. In fall 2024 the private university’s Benerd College, which specializes in education programs and degrees, accept students into its new Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology major focused on marriage and family counseling.…
All about minorities as usual? Maybe they should do things for themselves for a change instead of demanding we taxpayers foot their bills??? We are sick of those in government who discriminate against the taxpayer in favor of those who don’t care to work. These un-Constitutional crimes are eventually repaid.