CVCF Convenes Donor Interest Group to Address Local Health Inequities

If you reside in the Central Valley, chances are you have been impacted by inequitable health care access – whether you experienced a long wait time to secure an appointment with a specialist, had to travel outside of a rural city for a hospitalization, or had difficulties securing insurance coverage.  CVCF’s Health Care Landscape Study, published earlier this year, sets out to underscore these local disparities and prompt discussion and brainstorming on how to make health care more inclusive.

Since publication of the report, CVCF has convened a health equity donor interest group with various entities including interested donors, medical professionals, public health employees and education administrators to learn more about the barriers to care in the Valley and strategize potential solutions to solve the local health care crisis.

One member of the group, Dr. Michael Galvez, Director of Pediatric Hand Surgery at Valley Children’s Hospital, was inspired to join because he sees the consequences of these gaps in care every day, particularly for underserved children and families. He cites findings uncovered in the Health Care Landscape Study that Medi-Cal covers 53% of Central Valley residents and over 70% of the pediatric population. Dr. Galvez noted that the Valley has about half the specialists per capita compared to the rest of California, and low Medi-Cal reimbursement rates further prevent specialty providers from serving the region.

“The Central Valley’s future depends on recruiting subspecialists to our underserved region, which can be challenging. Building the medical education and fellowship infrastructure the Valley lacks requires sustained, coordinated investment,” Dr. Galvez said. “I want to help direct philanthropic resources toward those root causes and to bring the perspective of someone who sees firsthand what is at stake for an entire generation of Central Valley children.”

This focus on workforce shaped the group’s first meeting in May 2026, which commenced with a health care workforce panel conversation with Karri Hammerstrom, Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative Executive Director; Dr. Carole Goldsmith, retired State Center Community College District Chancellor; Dr. Kara Zografos, Fresno State’s College of Health and Human Services Dean; and Dr. Christopher Meyer, Fresno State’s College of Science and Mathematics Dean. The panelists discussed a variety of opportunities to expand the local health care workforce.

One area of need they highlighted was the nursing shortage, which the State Center Community College District is working to address. According to Dr. Goldsmith, the District has increased its Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program by 12% over the past 10 years – with Fresno City College, Madera Community College and Lemoore College all offering accredited ADN programs. Dr. Goldsmith hopes for the District to eventually offer a Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) program. No California community college currently offers a BSN program. Acquiring a BSN degree from a private college costs over $70,000, while obtaining a BSN degree from a community college costs a fraction of that at nearly $6,000. Having the BSN program would expand and upskill the local nursing workforce.

Building on that conversation, CVCF hosted another health equity donor interest group meeting this October. Fresno County Department of Public Health Director Joe Prado and Livia Alejo, Cultiva La Salud Community Health Worker Supervisor, addressed Medi-Cal changes that have impacted Fresno County residents and how instrumental community health workers will be in expanding access to health care services.

To learn more about the Central Valley health care crisis, read the Health Care Landscape Study here and stay tuned for updates on the health equity donor interest group.