Kern County’s public health services may face budget cuts. County leaders held a hearing to discuss the potential effects on the community and county employees. The hearing continued discussions about the budget proposal, which specifically aimed to reduce Kern County Public Health’s medical services.
Community members expressed their concerns, pointing out that these cuts will not only affect county employees, but will also reduce access to services for the entire community and result in a shrinking public health workforce.
Iliana Rivera, a nurse practitioner, believes that public health should be a service available to all community residents and communities across the United States. And the fact that we’re attempting to cut it significantly in an area that is already underserved — we don’t have enough providers — will only exacerbate our health problems.”
County officials noted that they are dealing with a combination of state and federal budget cuts totaling slightly more than $12 million.
They emphasized their ongoing commitment to their mission while acknowledging that some changes will be required. Officials added that Public Health has a 38 million dollar budget and a workforce of over 200 employees.
Jeff Flores, the supervisor for District 3, states: “The department is making adjustments — less travel, hiring freeze, no overtime, deleting vacant funded positions — and seeing how we can best absorb them into other parts of the county where we do have jobs available.”
According to Public Health, 35 positions could be eliminated, with 27 already filled.
Brynn Carrigan, Director of Kern County Public Health, states, “I think what’s important to understand is that we’re still maintaining services in our clinic in Bakersfield.” We are still here as an agency to serve our community, and we continue to prioritize their health and safety.
The County Board of Supervisors will hold one more public meeting, on August 26th, before deciding whether to proceed with the cuts.
