Merced Sun-Star

3 Valley counties have highest ER visit rates

Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Fresno have the highest emergency room visits per capita among urban counties in California, according to a study released Tuesday.

Hospital emergency rooms in those counties receive large numbers of patients with medical conditions that can be treated in a doctors office or clinic, says the Public Policy Institute study "Emergency Department Care in California: Who Uses It and Why?" The study sheds light on the troubling health care issues in the San Joaquin Valley, where counties suffer from high unemployment, fewer doctors and a large percentage of residents who are uninsured.

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Jobless rate up in Valley

Pain of housing crunch is spreading to other industries in the region.

By EVE HIGHTOWER
The Modesto Bee

The Northern San Joaquin Valley's jobless rate continued to climb in July, when harvesting and construction typically boost employment.

But the housing market collapse continues to be a drag on the region's economy, as small businesses shut their doors and major employers trim payrolls.

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More Stories
  • Students improve, according to scores

    A growing number of California students met state standards in English and math this year, but black and Latino students continue to trail far behind their peers, according to test results released Thursday.

  • 1 percent sales tax increase not popular with area residents

    Lawmakers still negotiating the proposal that would help close a $15 billion spending shortfall

    SACRAMENTO -- Would customers still buy a $70,000 recreational vehicle if it cost $700 more in sales taxes than it does today? Curt Curtis, co-owner of Paul Evert's RV Country in Fresno, thinks they might not.

  • Heat wave brings grimy air into San Joaquin Valley

    FRESNO — A dangerous mix of heat, pollution and stagnant air has settled over the San Joaquin Valley, pushing air quality to very unhealthy levels.

  • More home loans on edge

    Interest-only and Alt-A borrowers may be in the next wave of foreclosures.

    A new threat is emerging that could keep the tidal wave of foreclosures continuing into 2011, experts say.

  • 20,000 homes lost last year

    July saw 3,000 retaken in valley; few auctioned off

    A record-breaking 3,000 homes were lost to foreclosure during July in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, pushing the 12-month foreclosure total to more than 20,000 homes.

  • House resolution commemorates 1958 Azorean Refugee Act

    Valley's Portuguese celebrate 50th anniversary of legislation that sparked migration

    By Michael Doyle | McClatchy Newspapers

  • Program will give immigrants medical help and education

    The Mexican consulate and a health organization will offer a new educational and referral service for uninsured immigrants in the central San Joaquin Valley starting in September.

  • Bill strengthening high-speed rail bond delayed

    SACRAMENTO The state Assembly on Monday delayed a vote on a bill that would add more accountability to the high-speed rail measure on California's November ballot, avoiding a showdown with the governor.

  • Study looks at health of farmworkers

    MICASA follows everything from aches to diabetes in laborers

    MENDOTA -- When customers come into his store, Joseph Riofrio sees the positive effects of an ongoing study in Mendota on the health of farmworkers and their job risks.

  • Income gap equals health gap for women in the Central Valley

    Minorities also suffer more from obesity, etc., than rich counterparts.

    Poor and minority women are more likely to be in poor health, be obese and lack insurance, and the health disparities are glaring in the poverty-stricken Valley, according to a new report.

  • Incomes in San Joaquin Valley trail rest of nation, latest stats show

    Difference attributed to higher birthrate, younger population

    Stanislaus County incomes keep falling further and further behind the national average. Americans earned nearly one-third more than Stanislaus residents on a per capita basis in 2007, income statistics released Thursday show.

  • Foreclosure's smallest victims: family pets

    Dogs and cats getting left behind in empty houses; shelters feeling the strain

    TURLOCK -- On a quiet residential street, the front lawn of a beige tract house is growing more weeds than grass, the screens covering the windows are shredded and a broken-down sedan sits in the driveway.

  • Proposed high-speed rail route through Merced County proving divisive

    Environmentalists want trains to run through East Bay, northern Valley

    SACRAMENTO -- California bullet-train enthusiasts risk losing support from key environmental groups because of a dispute over the train's route. Unless it is resolved soon, the conflict could pose problems for a high-speed rail bond measure on the November ballot.

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