Why Is Accessing Good Dental Care Like Pulling Teeth?

The Science Is There. The Societal Will to Provide and Pay For It—Not So Much

In early January 2018, I began to have a recurring dream. I’m sitting comfortably at the kitchen table surrounded by friends, when one of my teeth falls out. I reach up to my mouth and out come two, three more. Then, I run to the mirror, only to find my mouth full of jagged shards where my teeth used to be.

The location and people I’m sitting beside vary, but the outcome is always the same. My permanent teeth lie cupped in my palm like a handful of trail mix.

Tooth loss …

by Megan Chong | July 17, 2024

Health Care Advocate Martha Valladarez

I Always Think About How Lucky I Am

July 21, 2023

Martha Valladarez is an in-home supportive services provider. She was one of the first female letter carriers and female shop stewards in Fresno, California. Her youngest daughter has Down Syndrome, …

KVPR News Director Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado

I Saved the Candles From My 18th Birthday

July 21, 2023

Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado is the news director for KVPR Valley Public Radio. He grew up in the San Joaquin Valley he now covers, and previously reported the news for the Fresno …

Public Health Professor Helda Pinzón-Perez

Learn to Fail, and Be Thankful When You Have Success

July 21, 2023

Helda Pinzón-Perez is a public health professor at California State University, Fresno. Her areas of research include health issues of vulnerable populations and in rural areas. Before joining the panel …

Health Care Workforce Researcher Janette Dill

I’m Always Happiest Outside

July 21, 2023

Janette Dill is an associate professor in the Health Policy & Management Division in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, and the deputy director of the …

Four panelists sitting in front of a blue backdrop that has the logos of Zócalo Public Square and The James Irvine Foundation on it. The panelists are, from left to right: Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado, Janette Dill, Helda Pinzón-Perez, and Martha Valladarez.

Better Health Care Starts with Better Health Care Jobs

The Industry Needs Higher Wages, More Paid Leave, and Pathways to Advancement

by Joe Mathews | July 14, 2023

The most important healthcare workers in this country—entry-level workers who do the caregiving and provide preventive services—are often paid poverty-level wages and provided insufficient benefits and supports, said panelists at …

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