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Editor’s Corner: We’re only human – A few words about AI and The Modesto Focus
I start my newsletter every week with a cheery “Good morning, neighbors!” for a reason. First, I’m a transplanted Midwesterner and I can’t help but be friendly. And, second, it’s true – all of The Modesto Focus reporters live, work and play right here in the Valley. Local journalists like us are your neighbors. That’s…
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14 Valley hospitals, including two in Modesto, earn A grades in Leapfrog Group patient safety ratings
Fourteen hospitals across the San Joaquin Valley received top marks in the spring 2026 hospital safety grades issued Wednesday by The Leapfrog Group, including seven facilities that were given “Straight A” ratings for sustaining A grades for more than two years. The ratings are based on 22 measures of patient…
Modesto group seeks expanded pesticide buffer zones by schools. Ag officials say not enough public support for changes
Last year, an environmental justice group called for change to local agriculture regulations because of health risks associated with pesticide fumigants used to clear orchards and farms near schools – but nothing has come of it. In Modesto, an environmental advocate group started conversations meant to protect youth in schools…
Tragedy fuels support across Stanislaus County after death of Amari Peterson. Mental health experts share insights as the community grieves
There are still more questions than answers surrounding the mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in Stockton over Thanksgiving weekend, and the grief is palpable across the region. When it came to light last week that one of the four victims killed in the massacre was Amari Peterson, a…
Modesto organizations step up to help vulnerable families, as uncertainty looms over SNAP benefits
Maggie Rojas, a single mother of three, joined a steady procession of visitors Thursday seeking food assistance at The House – a church in Modesto that provides services to those in need. Holding her bike while she waited in line, Rojas typically pedals to The House on Thursdays, after getting…
‘What is everybody going to do?’ Modesto homeless shelter residents fear potential closure
Residents of the Modesto shelter that’s quickly running out of money aren’t sure what they would do if they’re turned away. “We’re worried this time. We’re real worried,” Michael Ballard, 58, told The Modesto Focus on Monday just outside the ACES shelter, short for Access Center Emergency Shelter. The Salvation…
Stanislaus Medicaid recipients, providers face ‘worst case scenario’ under One Big Beautiful Bill passage
San Joaquin Valley residents who rely on Medicaid – either for their own vital healthcare or to take care of loved ones – are facing their “worst case scenario” as they prepare for $1 trillion in cuts to the program now that President Trump has signed the so-called “One Big…
Stanislaus County foster care agencies are facing an insurance crisis and possible closure
The nonprofit agencies that serve some of the Central Valley’s most vulnerable youth have found themselves stuck between the proverbial rock and the hardest of decisions. After the largest insurer of nonprofit foster care agencies across California announced it was pulling out of the market and would not renew policies…
Valley residents have the most to lose with planned federal cuts to food stamps
San Joaquin Valley residents already bracing for possible federal cuts to Medicaid could be hit with a one-two punch as Congressional Republicans plan to slash another $230 billion, much, or all, of which could come from the federal food stamps program. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is called CalFresh in California)…
More than half of San Joaquin Valley residents could face ‘devastating’ cuts to health coverage
More than half of the San Joaquin Valley’s population could be bracing for “devastating” cuts to their health insurance coverage as House Republicans decide how to slash some $880 billion from Medicaid. Among Californians, Valley residents have perhaps the most to lose due to the eight-county region’s high enrollment in…
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Other Valley Health Stories
‘There’s a lot of anxiety.’ How some Valley schools are addressing students’ mental health needs
Seeking mental health care can seem daunting at any age. For the students of Tracy Unified School District, a new wellness center hopes to make the process easier with services that could extend to the whole family. The TUSD Student Wellness Center opened in October on Grant Line Road in Tracy, providing counseling and therapy…
In the Valley, dental volunteers continue this annual tradition of providing free care to youth
Whether it’s a filling, a tooth cleaning, or giving just advice, since 1982 a team of volunteers has held an event to provide dental help to kids in Stockton who need it most – and free of charge. Local dentist John Reed, a member of the San Joaquin Dental Society, is among those volunteers who…
Black women are at highest risk for pregnancy deaths. How a new California law addresses the problem
Khadija Fox screamed in pain when the doctor forcefully pulled her baby out in a Stockton hospital birthing room years ago. The attending nurse yelled at her to stop screaming, so she did. As a young Black woman in her early twenties with little knowledge of the birthing process, she remembered feeling as if she…
What are Californians’ top health priorities? New poll finds state mental healthcare system ‘isn’t working’
Mental health issues loom large in the minds of California residents as the state enters election season. The annual California Health Policy Survey from the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation revealed that access to mental health care continues to be one of the biggest concerns for people across the state. The annual survey, conducted in…
Prop. 1 wins, despite Valley voters’ rejection of mental health funding overhaul. What happens now?
Despite being roundly rejected by Central Valley voters, Proposition 1 has passed by a razor-thin margin statewide, which means counties across California will begin the process of overhauling their mental health services in an effort to fight the state’s chronic homelessness crisis. The Associated Press called the race Wednesday night as officials continue to count…
San Joaquin Valley asthma patients facing flare-ups with these winter weather triggers
National recognition is usually cause for celebration. For Stocktonians, being called out for air pollution and asthma rates is not a badge of honor. The city has been named an Asthma Capital by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “It’s not something anyone’s proud of,” said Jazmarie LaTour, Director of Little Manila Rising’s Decreasing Asthma Within…
UC Merced to oversee $18M in funding to boost health education in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties
MERCED, CA — A regional collaborative in the northern San Joaquin Valley has been awarded $18.1 million to boost career options for prospective students in the fields of healthcare and education. The WE Will! Collaborative, a project spearheaded by UC Merced, was awarded the money by the California General Services Department’s K-16 Educational Collaborative Grant Program during its…
California’s San Joaquin Valley has a therapist shortage. Here’s how a university hopes to change that
Stockton’s University of the Pacific has launched a new master’s program to help address the region’s ongoing shortage of mental health professionals. In fall 2024 the private university’s Benerd College, which specializes in education programs and degrees, accept students into its new Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology major focused on marriage and family counseling.…