The Fresno Unified School District announced a potential reopening plan Tuesday for in-person learning. The new agreement between the district and the Fresno Teachers Association outlines a return to a hybrid model that includes in-person instruction by April 6th. Superintendent Bob Nelson says the increased ability to vaccinate all district …
Read More »Health Officials Warn Of Dwindling ICU Beds, Overcrowded Hospitals: COVID-19 Update For Dec. 11
Five days into a regional stay-at-home order, COVID-19 infections in the San Joaquin Valley are soaring and hospitals are scrambling to make space on floors already crowded with flu patients. On Thursday of this week, the California Department of Public Health estimated that intensive care units in the San Joaquin …
Read More »As COVID-19 Cases Soar, Avenal Inmates Increasingly Concerned About Mental Health
On a bright afternoon in June, a group of protesters wearing masks gathered in a dusty parking lot outside a prison in rural Kings County. One of them held a megaphone up to a cell phone. “My name is Jacob Benitez, I’m an inmate calling from Facility F right here …
Read More »Labor Day No Time For A ‘Holiday From Safety,’ Health Official Warns In Light Of COVID-19
Over the last month, the spread of COVID-19 in the San Joaquin Valley has slowed. But not all measures of the disease have improved, and health officials say it’s no time for the community to let down its guard. Fresno County’s Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra is concerned about …
Read More »This Grad’s ‘Little Virtuosos Project’ Connects Music And Mental Health Awareness
Violinist Anjeli Macaranas recently graduated from University High School in Fresno and will be attending Harvard this fall, from home. She performed this spring on Valley Public Radio’s Young Artists Spotlight and as a guest on the Play On series early this summer. Valley Public Radio’s David Aus recently caught …
Read More »Fresno American Indian Health Project Reports Increased Demand For Services During COVID-19
While reports show that the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affects communities of color, gaps in data have made it difficult to quantify the impact of the virus on indigenous populations. To get a better sense of how Native Americans in the Valley are faring during the pandemic, Valley Edition Host Kathleen …
Read More »To Help Those Experiencing Homelessness, Tulare Street Medicine Team Starts With Health
People experiencing homelessness often rely on the hospital emergency room for medical care. In Porterville, Vera Miles has done it multiple times. She’s lived under the trees along the Tule River in Porterville for five years. The 60-year old shares the space with her partner. She says she isn’t worried …
Read More »An Emergency Medicine Doctor On Covid-19 And ‘A Rebirth of Public Health’
Near the beginning of the pandemic, we talked to an ER doctor who said the emergency room at Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno felt like “the calm before the storm.” So, more than two months in, what’s it like now? FM89’s Alice Daniel spoke with Dr. Jim Comes, …
Read More »Fresno County Public Health Town Hall Addressed Testing Availability, COVID-19 In Winter
In lieu of its regular media briefing Friday, the Fresno County Department of Public Health held a virtual town hall where community members could submit their own questions about the coronavirus. The meeting was live-streamed on Facebook. One person asked via the comments how to get a test if they’re …
Read More »Health Officials In The Valley Monitor At-Risk Individuals To Prevent Spread Of COVID-19
Only two COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the San Joaquin Valley: one each in Madera and Fresno counties. Both are related to travel on Princess Cruises. To prevent further spread, public health departments are monitoring at-risk folks daily. Not every county publishes the number of monitored individuals, but from …
Read More »Managing Your Mental Health During Coronavirus Outbreak
With COVID-19 cases on the rise in California, mental health professionals say it is normal for people to be afraid and concerned about their well-being. But when does a health fear turn into debilitating anxiety? FM89’s Kathleen Schock spoke with Dr. Jasmine Singh, resident in the UCSF Fresno Department of …
Read More »Congressional Candidates TJ Cox and David Valadao Talk Health Care, Water and Energy
David Valadao is fighting to win back the congressional seat he narrowly lost to Congressman TJ Cox in 2018. FM89’s Kathleen Schock spoke with both candidates about some of the key issues facing the district. https://www.kvpr.org/sites/kvpr/files/styles/big_story/public/202002/Cox-Valadao.jpg
Read More »Emotional Support May Help Reduce Health Disparities, Says Study Of Valley Cancer Survivors
Edelmira and Juan Ramos were teenagers when they met in the early 1970s. Juan was visiting his grandmother in Mexicali, Mexico, when he noticed Edelmira living across the street. He spoke only English, she only Spanish, and yet they both felt a spark. “My eyesight just…I liked what I saw,” …
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