Kids in Rural California Face Challenges Getting Health Care
Children who live in urban communities in California are more likely to have health care coverage and greater access to health care services than children living in rural areas, according to a study released Wednesday by Children Now, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Children Now is an Oakland-based not-for-profit health care research and advocacy group (McNamara, Sacramento Bee, 6/20).
The findings were based on census and state health and education data (Lelchuk, San Francisco Chronicle, 6/20). The data is broken down by county (Cowden Moore, Ventura County Star, 6/20).
The health care disparity is most pronounced in California's rural counties where median incomes are below the state average, poverty is more prevalent and medical facilities are sparse, according to the study (Sacramento Bee, 6/20).
The report also compared the well-being of children from different racial or ethnic backgrounds in some categories (Eslinger, San Francisco Examiner, 6/20).
Corey Newhouse, an analyst with Children Now, said most cities have health care initiatives that provide access to low-cost health care services, while rural residents are more likely to pay out-of-pocket costs or travel for care.
The study is intended to highlight gaps in health care and other services, including education. Children Now says its goal is to make childhood health issues a priority among state and federal lawmakers (Sacramento Bee, 6/20).