It's the latest in the ''blame, don't blame'' game of health-care, finger-pointing -- with at least one worthwhile takeaway. The Public Policy Institute of California has a new report, ''Emergency Department Care in California; Who Uses It and Why?'' Key findings: Fresno, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties have the highest per-capita ED ...

The grass has turned to straw. The darkened building has a foreclosure sign taped to the door. Past-due notices are scrunched into the jamb. That describes houses in my Clovis neighborhood. It soon may well describe some California hospitals. Members of the California State Rural Health Association gathered recently in Reedley, and one ...