New Study Shows Minority Doctors are Underrepresented in California, with African Americans and Latinos Showing the Greatest Shortages

Sacramento (April 2, 2008) — New data on California physicians confirm that there is vast ethnic disparity in the state’s physician workforce when compared to the state’s population, particularly for Latinos and African Americans. While Latinos represent one third of the state’s adult population, only 5% of California physicians are Latino. While African Americans represent 7% of the state’s population, only 3% of California’s physicians are African American.  The data also highlight why physician diversity is a critical public health issue, demonstrating that non-white physicians play a critical role in access to care for Californians by being more likely than their white counterparts to work in primary care fields and practice in underserved communities.

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CMA Foundation Develops First Statewide Plan to Address CA-MRSA

Sacramento (February 26, 2008) — The CMA Foundation’s AWARE Project convened key stakeholders Monday to finalize a statewide plan of action to strengthen and effectively coordinate efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat CA-MRSA in California. The plan will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later this spring.

“Community-Associated MRSA has stormed into several areas in California, changing disease patterns and the way that physicians treat patients,” said Dean Blumberg, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease at UC Davis Medical Center. “This disease can be extremely serious and problematic due to its contagiousness, especially among close contacts, such as within families or among schoolmates. Although there is a lot of information in circulation concerning MRSA, it isn't always consistent, and many recommendations are unproven.  It is important that we educate both the public and health care providers about the best approach to prevent and treat these infections through this statewide plan.”

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