#ValleyChildrensHospital in Madera hosted a training last week on pediatric practices for nurses from throughout the #SanJoaquinValley. The expectation: take those lessons back to their colleagues. theintersectionreports.org/nurses-from-...

CA cuts to Medi-Cal will slice #dental benefits for #undocumented adults, and may reduce access to care for other low-income residents as dentists leave the program. theintersectionreports.org/medi-cal-red...

As I enter my second year with the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative as a senior reporter / health reporting fellow, Jim Boren of the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust addresses the fellowship's importance in his Newsroom Notebook Substack. jimboren.substack.com/p/from-the-h...

My latest for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative : Mercy Medical Center in #Merced CA is seeking for its ER to be a Level III #trauma center. It would be the first trauma center in #MercedCounty. The hospital is operated by Dignity Health. theintersectionreports.org/mercy-medica...

A report by @chcfnews.bsky.social says health care leaders in the #SanJoaquinValley fear Medicaid, Medi-Cal cuts are a “tsunami” that jeopardizes financial stability of hospitals and clinics, threatens residents’ access to care. theintersectionreports.org/valley-hospi...

A visit to a #hospital #emergencyroom is stressful enough. But to be there for hours on end? That doesn't make it easier. See how long the average visit takes at #SanJoaquinValley hospitals. theintersectionreports.org/how-long-doe...

The proposed CA state budget for 2026-27 includes reductions in Medi-Cal health services for undocumented people. I discussed my coverage with @kvprnews.bsky.social Valley Public Radio this week for its #CentralValleyDaily podcast. www.kvpr.org/podcast/cent...

Enrollments in #CoveredCalifornia health insurance coverage are dropping after the expiration of some tax credits makes 2026 premiums more expensive. Open enrollment ends Saturday 1/31. theintersectionreports.org/enrollments-...

#California's proposed 2026-27 budget includes reductions in Medi-Cal health, dental coverage for undocumented persons, adding to pressure from federal Medicaid cuts. theintersectionreports.org/proposed-cal...

My latest for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative: Uncertainty, confusion over expiration of some "Obamacare" tax credits and out-of-pocket costs appear to be taking a toll on new @CoveredCA health insurance enrollments. theintersectionreports.org/new-covered-...

Adoption of zero-emission vehicles in the #SanJoaquinValley lags CA as a whole, even as the region has a high burden of air pollution. theintersectionreports.org/valley-has-h...

On the air yesterday, online today: I joined host Vicki Gonzalez on CapRadio's "Insight" show to discuss @coveredca.bsky.social open enrollment and the potential expiration of tax credits to help people pay premiums for health insurance. www.capradio.org/news/insight...

Open enrollment for health insurance through Covered California is ongoing. But federal tax credits that help underwrite the cost of premiums expire at the end of this year. Will Republicans in Congress vote to extend them? theintersectionreports.org/covered-cali...

#SanJoaquinValley stands to face "devastating" #health fallout from "#BigBeautifulBill cuts to #Medicaid, two CA state assembly members predict. theintersectionreports.org/big-beautifu...

This is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, which prompted me to take a look at the disease which is a leading cause of death in the San Joaquin Valley -- where Latinos have a lower mortality rate from Alzheimer's than whites. Read more about it here. theintersectionreports.org/valley-latin...

Happy to share this podcast interview I did with @KVPR's Central Valley Daily podcast discussing my story on obesity rate disparities in the San Joaquin Valley's Latino population. open.spotify.com/episode/3i2E...

#Nurses at 3 California #hospitals - in #Modesto, #Turlock and #Manteca - plan a one-day strike on Oct. 30 to draw attention to stalled contract negotiations over wages, working conditions. theintersectionreports.org/nurses-at-th...

#Healthcare costs, access are a major concern for #California voters ahead of 2026 #election for governor, according to a new poll. For Central Valley Journalism Collaborative theintersectionreports.org/new-poll-sho...

#Obesity rates in #California and the #SanJoaquinValley are significantly higher among #Latinos than the overall population - a possible harbinger of broader #health concerns. For the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative: theintersectionreports.org/latinos-in-t...

I just wrapped up a live segment on @capradio's "Insight" show in Sacramento to discuss the pending expiration of expanded tax credits under the #AffordableCareAct that help people who buy health insurance through #CoveredCalifornia. It will available online this afternoon at www.capradio.org/1183.

For Central Valley Journalism Collaborative: More than 291,000 #SanJoaquinValley residents already have no health insurance. Expiration of #AffordableCareAct expanded tax credits could raise that number even higher by making coverage more expensive. theintersectionreports.org/expiration-o...

#WestNileVirus, carried by mosquitoes and transmitted through their bites to people, has killed three people in the #SanJoaquinValley so far in 2025. My report for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative (Photo: U.S. Centers for Disease Control) theintersectionreports.org/west-nile-vi...

#Nursing residencies extend training, support and boost retention for new #hospital nurses in the #SanJoaquinValley and nationwide. One of my latest for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative: theintersectionreports.org/hospital-res...

A double-dose of NPR radio appearances on Tuesday 9/16 to discuss my story on the #SanJoaquinValley's relative shortage of hospital labor/ delivery/ maternity care: www.kvpr.org/podcast/cent... and www.capradio.org/media/122791...

#Madera's #hospital reopened this year after 2 years closed, but without resuming labor & delivery. Is it contributing to a #maternity care "desert" for would-be mothers? My latest for Central Valley Journalism Collaborative theintersectionreports.org/hospital-cut...

We, the staff of @CVJCguild, are forming a union! A strong local news ecosystem needs strong workers. We’re asking our leadership to formally recognize us so we can shape the future of local media together. ▶️Read our mission statement ▶️ Sign our petition ▶️ Following @CVCJGuild here and on IG

More than 1 in 5 #SanJoaquinValley residents rely on #SNAP/#CalFresh benefits for help with grocery costs. President Trump's #BigBeautifulBill slices $287 billion in SNAP spending by 2034. How will it affect Valley families? themercedfocus.org/22-of-valley...

Another day, another story for the Central Valley #Journalism Collaborative: Three #SanJoaquinValley hospitals make their way onto the @usnews list of best regional #hospitals. theintersectionreports.org/three-valley...

#California is making cuts to Medi-Cal that will affect the #SanJoaquinValley's #undocumented immigrants, adding to a climate of fear stoked by federal raids and deportation threats. My latest for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative: theintersectionreports.org/benefit-cuts...

All the hubbub over the #BigBeautifulBill prompted us at the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative to wonder how #Medicaid cuts may impact health clinics and hamper care for low-income people around the #SanJoaquinValley. Here's what we learned theintersectionreports.org/valley-healt...

My recent story for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative on suicide rates in the #SanJoaquinValley was the subject for an interview airing today on Valley Public Radio @kvprnews.bsky.social for its Central Valley Daily podcast. You can give it a listen at www.kvpr.org/podcast/cent...

Over the last seven years, the #suicide rate in the #SanJoaquinValley has been significantly higher than the CA statewide rate, federal mortality data shows. From 2018 through 2024, almost 3,300 Valley residents took their own lives. Story at: theintersectionreports.org/suicide-is-a...

The #SanJoaquinValley has an abundance of retailers licensed for off-sale beer, wine and spirits. But how many is too many? What are the health consequences? See the story for an interactive map of census tracts and the number of alcohol retailers in each. theintersectionreports.org/alcohol-lice...

The dangers from #COVID19 have diminished, but not disappeared; the virus continues to claim lives in the #SanJoaquinValley. My latest for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative theintersectionreports.org/covid-19-dan...

Pleased to share this KVPR Valley Public Radio podcast, posted today, in which host Elizabeth Arakelian and I discuss my recent reporting on the region’s shortage of geriatric specialists to care for the elderly. You can give it a listen here: www.kvpr.org/podcast/cent...

My latest for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative: As the San Joaquin Valley's Baby Boomers age, more senior citizens and elderly create higher demand for geriatric doctors, more reliance on Medicare, Medicaid. theintersectionreports.org/senior-popul...

#Domesticviolence calls to law enforcement in #Fresno County soared between 2019 and 2023. That pushed the #SanJoaquinValley to the highest regional rate in the state in 2023. But there are too few resources to fully meet victims’ needs. theintersectionreports.org/fresno-count...

ICYMI: Central Valley Journalism Collaborative's Marijke Rowland and I joined Sacramento's CapRadio #Insight host Vicki Gonzalez on the air Wednesday to discuss potential #SanJoaquinValley fallout for #Medicaid patients, health clinics & the uninsured. Listen here: www.capradio.org/media/122774...

My Central Valley Journalism Collaborative colleague Marijke Rowland and I will be live on Sacramento's CapRadio Insight radio show this afternoon to discuss upheaval, uncertainty in #SanJoaquinValley #healthcare amid potential cuts to #Medicaid. Noon at www.capradio.org/news/insight...

There’s a critical shortage of doctors in some rural parts of the U.S., including the #SanJoaquinValley. A bill proposed by two Valley congressmen could make a difference - eventually. themercedfocus.org/costa-gray-p...

More than 308,000 people in #California’s #SanJoaqinValley region are without any form of #health #insurance, limiting their opportunities for #medical care. Many have no coverage despite having jobs. theintersectionreports.org/uninsured-in...

Nonprofit #health clinics across California’s #SanJoaquinValley confront uncertainty over their federal funding amid budget debates and presidential orders on immigration. theintersectionreports.org/valleys-safe...

ICYMI: Here’s a link to today’s “Insight” show on Sacramento’s CapRadio public radio, in which I talked with host Vicki Gonzalez about the closure, fallout and reopening of Madera Community Hospital. www.capradio.org/news/insight...

It took a while – more than two years – but #Madera Community #Hospital finally regained its state license and reopened to patients on Tuesday morning. Read it here with NO PAYWALL! theintersectionreports.org/after-a-two-...

My latest: The closure of #Madera Community #Hospital in January 2023 created ripples that affected hospitals in neighboring #Fresno and #Merced counties. Its reopening is expected to ease strain on access to care in the region. theintersectionreports.org/its-been-clo...

Millions of #chickens, other #poultry have been killed in #SanJoaquinValley flocks infected with #BirdFlu; people, dairy cattle are also catching it. My first story for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative in The Merced FOCUS updates the local situation: themercedfocus.org/avian-flu-ca...

I was honored and humbled to be recognized this morning by Mayor Jerry Dyer (left), Council President Mike Karbassi (right) and the Fresno City Council for my 27-year career at The Fresno Bee. Now on to new duties reporting on health issues for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.

Another of my swan songs for @fresnobee.com: About 37,000 new homes (#houses, #apartments) are needed to meet residential demand in the city of #Fresno, CA by 2031. The city must have ample land w/ proper zoning, but it'll be up to builders to actually build them. www.fresnobee.com/news/local/a...

One of my two final stories for @fresnobee.com: Could billions of dollars in unspent federal grants for CA #highspeedrail be at risk from the Trump administration? www.fresnobee.com/news/local/a...

Allow me to share some career news: After more than 25 years at The FresnoBee, I will be joining the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative as its first Health Care Reporting Fellow. cvlocaljournalism.org/tim-sheehan-...