Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 2-17-22 E-Edition

Thursday, February 17, 2022 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
Serving the Readers of the Reedley Exponent, Dimuba Sentinel and Sanger Herald.
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
In my OPINION COVID issue continues to
divide along political lines
There was nothing extraordinary about the break of dawn this past weekend here in Central California. The sun shone brightly on all of God's children and, as usual, the climate was a life-giving draw envied by others.
Sanger City Hall reopening, vaccine clinics part of COVID numbers drop
Fred Hall — Publisher
Jon Earnest — Editor
Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
Fred Hall
It's going to be a little cold- er the next few days as winter winds into its last few weeks, but that doesn't deter from the encouraging news regarding lower numbers of COVID-19 cases.
In the past two weeks, ac- tive cases in Fresno County have dropped by nearly 10,000, and about 12,000 from a peak in late January. Whether driv- en by the Omicron variant or the long-dragging Delta vari- ant, positive cases of the virus made for a problematic winter and an extension to the indoor mask mandate California had reinstituted during the Christ- mas holiday period.
Understandably, many peo- ple grumbled when Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health offi- cials extended the mask man- date by an additional month; until Feb. 15. Now, Feb. 15 has arrived and we finally have the unlimited freedom of going to indoor businesses, organiza- tions and government entities.
One of those was City Hall in Sanger, where the virus had hit city employees hard during the winter. An emergency order by City Manager Tim Chapa, who also is the city's emergency services director, shuttered the doors of city government offic- es for an additional month. But as of Feb. 16, the public can again go into city buildings for business purposes.
It's not all ideal, especially for children and students in Val- ley and state schools. California continues to extend the indoor mask mandate for students and staff in public schools, which obviously will continue to up- set a portion of the population. If the numbers continue to drop sharply going into spring, it's quite possibly kids will receive some much-needed relief.
For those who are fully vac- cinated and boosted (I fall in this category), it's pretty much a free pass to venture about anywhere without a mask. Personally, I still plan to keep
masks handy
as a courtesy
to some of the
more vulner-
able adults, but
it's likely those
people aren't
out mingling
with the gen-
eral population in a substantial manner.
•••
There are two opportunities for residents in Dinuba and Reedley in the next two weeks to get together and celebrate top members of the commu- nity. Dinubans still can pur- chase tickets to the Chamber of Commerce "Night of Heroes" awards banquet on Friday, Feb. 18. Eight days later, on Satur- day, Feb. 26, the Greater Reed- ley Chamber of Commerce in- vites the public to attend its annual gala. Call your respec- tive city chambers for more information on the events.
Jon Earnest is news-sports editor for The Times.
QUOTE
“You can't make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you're doing is recording it.”
— Art Buchwald (1925-2007)
Jon Earnest
The state of governmental affairs
continued to be mismanaged by people
who are so inept that one should expect
no other result. The price of energy
continues growing at a rate that impacted every fam- ily; particularly those who depend on motor fuel — and that's virtually everyone. Environmentalists are in full throat calling for electric cars, NOW! They are an at- tractive sounding solution but will not serve the energy needs of this nation. We are experiencing the highest cost of living, homeless rates and poverty.
Even with so many negatives presenting the average family a tough year financially, we recognized this was Super Bowl Sunday — one of life's small pleasures which Americans annually enjoy. After being given adverse warnings on numerous occasions, we found that very few of the tens of thousands attending personally at the beautiful SoFi Stadium were asked for their vaccination cords or face mask. After nearly being deprived of this sporting event, it was just one more thing which further drives home everything we lost during COVID.
Strangely, during the pandemic churches were closed off by the government, while marginal operations like bars and strip clubs remained open.
Can you possibly remain curious or surprised in con- text of the fact that there are national elections which very well may guide the future, good or bad, of this en- tire country? Quality of life issues and the state of the American economy may very well ride on the strength of your vote.
“Those who surrender freedom for security will not, nor do they deserve, neither.” — Benjamin Franklin
Who would have thought two years ago that a tiny, little virus which escaped a laboratory in China would create such a division of mankind along political lines? We haven't been able to actually identify the source, be- cause those in charge seem to prefer that we not know. Early on, we would be told that a group of restrictions drawn by bureaucrats would only last for two weeks. Those few days have become two years and turned just about everything we do over to a bunch of egomania- cal bureaucrats who were hell-bent on seizing control of populations of constituents in the easiest possible way.
Every indicator we've been able to identify tends to point out just how expensive the handling of COVID is going to be on America, as well as the world. Easily identifiable will be the impact on business. Many small retailers will close their doors forever. School age chil- dren are being short-changed on their educations as we see more and more educational measures fall below standards.
One would find it difficult to argue that the sudden resurgence of good old common sense helps prove that this entire, sorry episode has been sharply divided along political lines. What makes this pandemic deeply harm- ful to Americans, and other people of the world, is the fact that, as a general rule, it's usually a very reliable investigative tool to follow the money.
Are you aware that both Mr. and Mrs. Fauci are on the government payroll and are being paid by the taxpayers they have ruled with an iron hand? Would it surprise you that between the two of them they make almost $1 million from the American government? That apparently does not include any of their side gigs like the stock market. Do you suppose they have any access to insider trading information?
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
COVID-19 pandemic showed that we need a more diverse doctor workforce
By Robert Grant
Guest columnist
Deaths related to COVID-19 were more than twice as high among Black, Latino, and Na- tive American people as among whites in 2020, according to new research out from the Na- tional Cancer Institute.
It's only the latest remind- er of the glaring inequity that plagues the U.S. healthcare sys- tem. Addressing that inequity will require boosting access to care among people from mar- ginalized groups.
That's partially a supply problem -- the United States needs more doctors, especially doctors who hail from histori- cally underserved communi- ties. Research shows that doc- tors from these communities are not only more likely to re- turn there to practice but more likely to deliver better out- comes for their patients.
Over 83.7 million Americans live in places with limited ac- cess to primary care doctors, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. They're dispropor- tionately people of color.
Unfortunately, that figure will likely increase. A June 2021 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges es- timates that the United States could be short 124,000 physi- cians by 2034.
Research has consistently
shown a link between access to physicians and health out- comes. Life expectancies in ar- eas with fewer doctors are, on average, lower than those in ar- eas that have more. About 7,000 U.S. lives could be saved every year simply by narrowing care gaps in the country's most un- derserved communities.
To sustainably address the doctor shortage, we must re- cruit from the communities that are most acutely experi- encing it. Numerous studies have found that a doctor's race or ethnicity is a strong indicator of where they eventually return to practice. The same goes for language, family income, and whether the doctor comes from a rural or urban area.
Patients also fare better when they can relate with the physician treating them. A 2018 National Bureau of Economic Research study found that Black men had significantly better health outcomes when treated by Black doctors.
It's on medical schools to produce the doctors that histori- cally marginalized communities need. Sadly, they haven't done a very good job of that.
Black and Hispanic people make up more than 31 percent of the U.S. population -- but only a smidge over 20 percent of the student population at U.S. medi- cal schools.
Incoming medical students
hail from disproportionately wealthy families, too. Last year, the median income of parents of medical school matriculants was $140,000 -- double the over- all median household income in this country.
International medical schools, by contrast, have made addressing inequity a priority. One-quarter of America's doc- tors attended medical school outside the country. In low-in- come communities, internation- al medical graduates are one- third of the doctor workforce. And in areas where the popu- lation is majority non-white, IMGs are even more prevalent.
Graduates of international medical schools are also more likely to go into primary care, where the need, especially in underserved communities, is greatest. Of the U.S.-born in- ternational medical graduates who matched into residency programs last year, roughly 70 percent entered into primary care specialties.
The disparate racial impact of COVID-19 is a tragic exam- ple of those inequities. Develop- ing a more diverse doctor work- force is one small way to work toward ending them.
Robert Grant, MD, is the se- nior associate dean for clinical studies at St. George's Universi- ty School of Medicine, the larg- est sources of physicians for the United States (www.sgu.edu).