Researcher Reports Dire Health Conditions of Stanislaus County

SALIDA- According to a recent report, Hea/th in the Heartland: The Crisis Continues, San Joaquin Valley residents experience some of the worst health conditions in the state. The same report also reveals that Stanislaus County ranks higher than most counties in California in coronary heart disease deaths, infant mortality, cancer deaths, and severe shortages of health care professionals.

Based on the findings of Health in the Heartland…

• Stanislaus County had the second highest rate of coronary heart disease deaths in California. There were 200.9 deaths per 100,000 people in Stanislaus County, compared to only 166 in the state.

• Stanislaus County had one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the state, ranking 51st out of 58 California counties. There were 7.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in Stanislaus County, compared to 5.7 in California.

• There were 190.6 cancer deaths per 100,000 persons in the county of Stanislaus, compared to an average of 176.1 deaths in the state.

Today, Joel Diringer, lead author of Health in the Heart/and: The Crisis Continues, presented specific findings from his 2004 report about the dire health conditions of the San Joaquin Valley and specific findings relating to residents in Stanislaus County, during a regional meeting held at the Salida Library -Community Room (4835 Sisk Road in Salida) from 3:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.

Approximately 30 key health professionals attended the meeting to hear Diringer’s findings and to assist health policy researchers in identifying health policy research priorities for Stanislaus County residents.

Today’s meeting was the fifth of eight Valley community dissemination meetings of the Central California Health Data Information Project. The Health in the Heart/and report is one of the initial outcomes of the data project and will be utilized to meet with the San Joaquin Valley communities about the region’s current health, influence policy and promote a system of change.

The Central California Health Data Information Project is funded by The California Endowment in partnership with the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at California State University, Fresno. The Central Valley Health Policy Institute is seeking community input from the regional meetings to help shape the Institute’s research agenda.

Health in the Heart/and was released at the third annual Central California Health Conference on Feb. 5th at the Fresno Convention Center. Diringer explained that the Valley’s health conditions are still in a state of crisis.

“The Valley has high rates of disease, poor community health and lacks an adequate provider network. The Valley leads the state in infant mortality, teen births and late access to prenatal care,” said Diringer.

Similar to the 1996 report of Hurting in the Heartland, Diringer’s recent report focuses on the demographics of Valley residents, economic and environmental factors, as well as health services. The report pays close attention to chronic diseases, health resources, immigrants, access to care, current health policy issues, health disparities, and health outcomes.

Over the past year, Diringer and co-authors of Health in the Heart/and, Dr. Kathleen Curtis, Cheryl McKinney Paul and Danielle Deveau, studied the health conditions of the Valley’s eight counties (Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare) and the relationship among 61 community clusters in comparison to California’s health conditions as a whole.

Their report reveals that communities with poor health access are characterized by: high rates of poverty, low educational attainment, female-headed households, higher percentages of immigrants and higher percentages of non-English speaking individuals. Each of these demographic characteristics presents a challenge for those who struggle to obtain/ maintain health insurance.

“Lack of resources due to high unemployment and resulting poverty can negatively affect a family’s ability to access health services. Hard choices must be made whether to pay for housing, food, or health care and often health care is not sought until conditions have worsened and they are more difficult and expensive to treat,” said Diringer.

“People with health insurance receive key health services, such as cancer screenings and effective management of chronic diseases such as asthma, emphysema, hypertension, and heart disease. Poor access to these basic services results in higher death rates from easily treatable cancers and more hospitalizations, disability and deaths from pulmonary and heart disease,” said Curtis.

Diringer and co-authors found that approximately 80,000 children in the San Joaquin Valley region were eligible for Healthy Families or Medi-Cal but weren’t enrolled in these government-funded programs. Many of the parents of these children documented that they were fearful of jeopardizing their immigration/citizenship status, they were confused about eligibility criteria, and simply did not know about these programs.

“Full enrollment in these programs would provide improved access to care for this vulnerable population, and replace local dollars now being spent on uninsured children with state and federal funds,” said Diringer.

Large numbers of non-English speaking immigrants indicate the need of medical interpreters to educate non-English speaking families about these available health resources as well as health conditions and preventative services. Stanislaus County already experiences a short supply of health providers.

In Stanislaus County, the number of primary care physicians, dentists, and licensed mental health providers per 100,000 people was far below the average rates of the state. However, the number of registered nurses in Stanislaus County was about 2% higher than the average rate for California.

According to Nancy Clark, chair of the nursing department at California State University, Stanislaus and advisory council member of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute, there is still a high demand for health care professionals.

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