| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Fresno State's health policy institute to receive $4 million grant
Tuesday June 17, 2003By BRIAN SKOLOFF
Associated Press Writer
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) A new health policy institute based at California State University, Fresno is getting a monetary boost to help it make health care a priority in the San Joaquin Valley.
The Central Valley Health Policy Institute has been awarded a five-year, $4 million grant from The California Endowment, a private health advocacy group that awards grants to community organizations across the state.
The grant is scheduled to be announced Wednesday by Dr. Robert K. Ross, president of The Endowment, and university President John D. Welty.
The institute was established in April 2002 to serve as a source for health policy information in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties. University officials say they want the institute, which could eventually offer graduate level health policy courses through Fresno State, to be a major player in helping the San Joaquin Valley meet its long-term health care objectives.
``Despite well-documented health disparities in the central San Joaquin Valley, there is no health policy vehicle within the region dedicated to studying the health care system or the impact of current and proposed public policies on the region,'' Ross said in a statement a day before the announcement. ``The institute will serve to fill the void.''
The valley's health care problems have not gone unnoticed. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, convened a rural health care summit in May at Visalia, calling the valley's health care situation a ``crisis.'' Nunes was joined by Dr. Cristina Beato, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Nunes has said hospitals throughout the valley face a severe shortage of doctors and nurses, and many physicians are reluctant to settle here because of the large number of MediCal patients and low state and federal reimbursement rates. Experts say poverty also plays a role in the valley's health disparities.
According to a study conducted by the Modesto-based Great Valley Center, more than one-quarter of the children in the Central Valley are living below the poverty level, and 26,000 children under the age of four do not have health insurance.
On The Net:
The California Endowment: www.calendow.org.
Fresno State news: www.fresnostatenews.com
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