March 18, 2004

Residents in west Modesto and Empire have less access to health care than people in neighboring communities, according to a study that ranks the area 58th out of 61 communities in the San Joaquin Valley.

Turlock was near the top of the ranking, according to a study that will be discussed today in Salida. And Oakdale, Riverbank and Salida were not far behind. But the valley as a whole is less healthy than other parts of California, and doctor shortages are more acute.

Those were the key findings in a report called "Health in the Heartland: The Crisis Continues," published last month by researchers at California State Univer- sity, Fresno.

"What it really calls for are heightened efforts in the valley as opposed to other regions in the state," lead author Joel Diringer said.

Officials will discuss the findings today during a regional meeting at the Salida library. Meetings already have been held in Bakersfield, Merced, Hanford and Tulare, and sessions are planned for Fresno and Madera.

Diringer hopes to stimulate dialogue so local officials can find regional solutions and get more clout in Sacramento and Washington.

He said policy-makers need to remember that people who do not have medical insurance often cost more to treat because they seek help at emergency rooms and do not have regular preventive care.

Priority not always health

State budget woes will make it difficult to maintain services and the report noted that health care is not always a top priority.

For example, the region's eight counties get $30 million a year from tobacco litigation settlements, but most of that money is being spent on general services rather than health programs, the report said.

"It's going to be very difficult in the next two years," Diringer said.

The report is an update of a 1996 study funded by the California Endowment.

Researchers divided eight San Joaquin Valley counties into 61 communities, then used health indicators, such as rates of disease, to determine the access residents have to medical care.

People who live in Frazier Park in Kern County had the best access to care; those in west Fresno had the worst.

Physicians follow the money

A lack of doctors is part of the problem.

Statewide, there are nearly 68 primary care physicians for every 100,000 people. In Stanislaus County, there are 59 primary care physicians for every 100,000 people. The rate diminishes in surrounding counties.

Diringer said a lack of residency programs sends doctors elsewhere. "They'll go where they can make a living," he said.

John Walker, public health officer for Stanislaus County, said officials are doing a community assessment of their own, and want public input so they can target their efforts wisely.

He said officials saw a need for more medical care in Empire, but had to shut down clinics in Empire and Salida in July, because money is so tight. Clinics in Modesto, Ceres, Hughson and Turlock remain.

Though budgets are tight, Walker said there still are plenty of people who are eager to work on health issues, and the basic needs of many residents are met by county programs.

"Our burden of disease here is troubling," Walker said. "The energy that I feel in the community to address these problems, it lifts me."

Bee staff writer Susan Herendeen can be reached at 578-2338 or sherendeen@modbee.com.