When community health workers from Fresno travel to the region’s rural communities and disadvantaged urban neighborhoods to provide support, one issue keeps coming up again and again: Growing numbers of San Joaquin Valley residents say they are experiencing acute mental health challenges.

Whether they are worried about where their next meal will come from, the arrival of an unexpectedly high utility bill or the disappearance of the last anti-eviction programs from the COVID era, stress is mounting.

And in this region, it often doesn’t have anywhere to go.

One out of every five Valley residents — including 25% of those with low incomes — say they tried to make an appointment for mental health care in the last year, according to a new regional survey released recently by the California Health Care Foundation.

But more than half of respondents — 54% — said it was difficult to find a provider who takes their insurance. Among those who were able to find a doctor, 62% report waiting longer than they thought was reasonable to get an appointment. Fully half of Valley residents believe the region doesn’t have enough health-care providers, especially for mental health issues.

Continue reading the article here. This story first appeared in the May 2, 2024, issue of the Fresno Bee.

Genoveva Islas

Genoveva Islas is the founder and executive director of Cultiva La Salud, a public health advocacy nonprofit based in Fresno. Cultiva is dedicated to advancing health equity by fostering policy, system, and environmental improvements that promote healthy communities. Cultiva’s efforts also focus on building community leadership so that residents can be more effective in advocating for healthy changes in their communities. She was recognized as a culture of health leader by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and as a healthy communities fellow by Aspen Institute. Read More

Carlina Hansen

Carlina is a senior program officer for CHCF’s Improving Access team, which works to improve access to coverage and care for Californians with low incomes. Read More

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