Inland Empire Doctor Shortage Crippling Area Expected To Get Worse
But health leaders are making efforts to alleviate the problem with expanded residency programs and new medical schools.
The Sun:
Physician Shortages Continue To Plague Inland Empire
The two-county San Bernardino-Riverside area continues to lack an adequate safety net for uninsured residents and faces a serious doctor shortage, especially in primary care and psychiatry, says a report released Monday. The Inland Empire’s supply of physicians is far below state levels, at 120 per 100,000 compared to the state average of 194 per 100,000, according to the report commissioned by the California Health Care Foundation. (Steinberg, 3/14)
Media outlets report on other news from around the state —
The Ventura County Star:
Diabetes Epidemic Threatens More Than Half Of Ventura County Adults, Study Says
More than half of Ventura County's adults have been diagnosed with diabetes or are sliding down a path that could lead to a disease hitting epidemic levels, said UCLA researchers. A study released this month estimated 47 percent of people ages 18 and older in the county have blood sugar levels that make them pre-diabetic. Their lifetime odds of joining the landslide of people developing Type 2 diabetes are about 70 percent; 30 percent could get there in five years. (Kisken, 3/14)
Court House News:
Kern Families Sue Petro Over Toxic Gas Leak
Dozens of families in a rural California town had to evacuate their homes after a natural gas pipeline under their neighborhood started leaking toxic gas, the families claim in court. The families, including several minor children, sued the owner of the pipeline, Petro Capital Resources, in Kern County Superior Court Thursday, claiming that Petro never disclosed that the pipeline ran under their Nelson Court neighborhood in Arvin. (Kearn, 3/14)