Fresno’s Healthcare Problem: Are Supervisors Creating a TB Crisis?

With TB infections rising, budget cuts by Supervisors Case & Larson, make situation more dangerous for Fresno’s families
FRESNO, CA – Tuberculosis rates in Fresno County are on the rise, yet Supervisors Judy Case and Phil Larson are putting Fresno residents at risk by voting to cut funding for vital services to diagnose and contain this and other serious infectious diseases.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a dangerous infectious disease – spread through the air – that, left untreated, kills 50 percent of its victims. After four years of decline, TB cases are on the rise in Fresno County. The result is that families are increasingly relying on overcrowded clinics and, in some cases, are forced to forgo vaccinations.
Stacy Comstock, a Fresno resident states in the mailer, “My grandchildren are my life. My youngest, Kirstynn, has muscular dystrophy and other numerous health problems. When Judy Case cuts immunization and treatment for infectious disease, she puts kids with compromised health at risk.”
These cuts to public health services are the focus of the latest mailer highlighting the misplaced priorities of Supervisors’ Case and Larson, sent to Fresno County residents by members of the Service Employees International Union (please click here and here to view the mailer.).
Supervisors Case’s and Larson’s votes to cut funding are severely hampering the ability of public health officials to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like TB and putting Fresno residents at risk. According to the Fresno Bee, since October, the Supervisors have voted five times for cuts to the public health department, resulting in a 22% reduction in positions, from 586 to 456. Additional cuts include Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health; Chest Clinic Reductions, which funds tuberculosis x-rays; Family Immunization Clinic; and Public Health Lab Reductions.
In 2008, there were 7.5 TB cases for every 100,000 people in comparison to 2007 which was 4.4 TB cases for every 100,000 people. The Department of Health and Human Services, as part of their Healthy People 2010 – a federal effort to help states and communities develop programs to improve health – set a goal of 1 TB case for every 100,000 people.
The mailer is part of a comprehensive effort to hold the Supervisors accountable for their votes for cuts to vital services and the needs of the community, while prioritizing the needs of special interests. The focus on the Supervisors’ records has included their cuts to law enforcement at the same time they gave a big raise to the county’s top administrator (please click here).

SEIU – United Healthcare Workers-West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States with more than 150,000 members. We unite every type of healthcare worker with a mission to achieve high-quality healthcare for all. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.1 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation’s fastest-growing union. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.
Source: SEIU-UHW