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Assessing the Region Via Indicators -
Public
Health and Access to Care, second edition
This report is part of the State of the Great Central Valley Indicators Series, our ongoing regional
initiative tracking conditions in one of California’s fastest growing regions: the 19-county Great
Central Valley. In annual installments, the Great Valley Center publishes a cycle of five reports
that assess five topic areas: The Economy; The Environment; Community Well-Being; Public
Health and Access to Care; and Education and Youth Preparedness.
This edition updates health indicators first introduced in 2003 and adds some new ones. These
indicators, which underlie and correlate with many of the other assessments of health, are
grouped in sections describing access to care, maternal and child health, senior health, chronic and
communicable diseases, and social indicators.
The good news is that progress has been made in a number of critical areas: smoking rates are
down, more children are being immunized and in some areas, heart disease is at its lowest in years.
However, in other areas - especially those tied to lifestyle choices - various parts of the Valley
trail state averages and national goals.
This report was funded by Kaiser Permanente and Bank of the Sierra. We appreciate their support
and investment in the region. Special thanks to former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona
for his centerpiece ssay regarding chronic diseases and the progress that can be made by fostering
partnerships to improve the basic understanding of health issues - health literacy - in diverse
communities. |
