New Sage Memorial Hospital transforms Navajo health care

GANADO – A new $177 million state-of-the-art medical facility in the Navajo Nation is nearing completion. Before the new hospital opens, staff must keep caring for patients in cramped spaces and with outdated equipment. All of that will change this fall when the new facility opens. Here’s a look at how radically different the new hospital will be.

Sage Memorial Hospital’s new $177 million medical facility is set to open in October. (Photo by Kevinjonah Paguio/Cronkite News)

Sage Memorial Hospital in Navajo Nation constructs new facility to improve health care

GANADO – Sage Memorial Hospital is opening a new facility in Ganado, looking to improve rural health care for the Diné people. Despite project hurdles and construction setbacks, the community is looking forward to the hospital’s opening.

Cars travel west on Highway 264 toward Ganado, population 883 as of 2020. (Photo by Kevinjonah Paguio/Cronkite News)

Mobile units and nutrition assistance extend Sage Memorial’s reach

GANADO – Sage Memorial Hospital is tackling access to health care beyond its main facility in Ganado, with two mobile units.

One of Sage Memorial’s mobile health care units displays its mission statement. “We’re hoping to provide comprehensive health care services,” said Kathryn Barron, nurse practitioner and director of outpatient services and community health at Sage Memorial. (Photo by Kevinjonah Paguio/Cronkite News)

Medical interpreters break the language barrier in Phoenix hospitals, use interpretation and translation services to broaden accessibility

PHOENIX – Health care accessibility includes language. Phoenix hospitals are using interpretation and translation services to help non-English speakers access necessary care.

Martha Martinez is the manager of language services at Valleywise Health. “I want every human being to have information and health care in their language,” she said. (Photo by Kevinjonah Paguio/Cronkite News)

Salton Sea immigrant community experiences high rates of asthma from inhaling dust from the drying sea bed

NORTH SHORE, California – Childhood asthma rates are disproportionately high for immigrant families who live and work near the Salton Sea in Southern California. Scientists say the alarming rate of respiratory problems comes from inhaling dust of decayed fish that ingested toxic materials flowing into the sea from nearby agricultural sites.

The Salton Sea in Southern California used to be a popular tourist destination, but the environment has been decimated through agricultural runoff and natural disasters as the water recedes. Photo taken on April 6. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)

San Antonio oncologists tackle rising rates of cancer deaths in Latinos

SAN ANTONIO – Cancer is the leading cause of death in the Hispanic community, accounting for 20% of deaths. Providers and researchers point toward a lack of access and awareness to early screening and treatment.

The Mays Cancer Center at the University of Texas Health San Antonio hosted a conference to draw attention to the alarmingly high rates of cancer in Latinos. (Photo courtesy of UT Health San Antonio)

Arizona ranks 49th in nation for access to adult mental health care

PHOENIX – Mental Health America ranked Arizona 49th on its national list for adult mental health care, indicating a higher prevalence of mental illness and lower access to care within the state.

The Arizona Department of Health Services’ Arizona State Hospital in Phoenix provides “the highest and most restrictive” level of care in the state, according to AZDHS. (Photo by Crystal Aguilar/Cronkite News)

Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market, Phoenix Bioscience Core promote health education at festival

PHOENIX – The Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market partnered with the Phoenix Bioscience Core to host the first Health & Wellness Phoestival earlier this month. In an attempt to bring health education and promote healthy living, the festival featured guest speakers, cooking demonstrations and health vendors.

Kayla Balay, Blue Sky Organic Farms market assistant, helps a customer bag produce at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market on April 13, 2024. “I’ve eaten a lot healthier since working here and have been introduced to a lot of new produce, as well,” Balay said. "I usually go by what’s called eating soulfully, so I eat what’s in season, organic, unprocessed and local.” (Photo by Sam Ballesteros/Cronkite News)

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will provide more beds to help the homeless survive extreme heat this summer

PHOENIX – Temperatures in Phoenix officially hit 100 degrees on April 21, earlier than usual. Phoenix’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul changed its priorities in order to help those who are homeless survive extreme heat and stay safe this summer.

Dennis Robinson poses for a portrait in one of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul dining rooms in Phoenix on Jan. 31. (Photo courtesy of Troy Hill/The Society of St. Vincent de Paul)

Year of Medicaid ‘unwinding’ cuts 600,000, but renews nearly 2 million on state’s rolls

PHOENIX - One year after starting Medicaid unwinding, AHCCCS renewed Medicaid coverage for more than 2 million and disenrolled over 600,000 Arizona recipients.


The rise of Valley fever

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, Calif. – Valley fever has been infecting people in the Southwest U.S., Central America and South America for decades. Its name comes from early cases detected in the San Joaquin Valley, California.

Heavy black clouds of dust rising over the Texas Panhandle, Texas in 1936. (Photo courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division)

Valley fever, a fungal disease endemic to the Southwest, disproportionately affects minority populations

TUCSON – Valley Fever, a disease caused by Coccidioides spores, can cause life-threatening illnesses, particularly in Black, Hispanic and Native American communities. There is still a lack of awareness as to how serious this disease can get, and the scope of it, even in the medical community.

Patches of dirt in both city and rural settings can contain the spores of the fungus that causes Valley fever and are released whenever the ground is disturbed. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)