Public health services in Kern County are at risk of significant reductions. County leaders recently held a hearing to discuss the potential impact on both the community and county employees. However, it's important to note that the cuts to Public Health services and staff were addressed as a separate item from the county's overall budget discussion.
During the meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve the reduction of services and the elimination of 35 positions within Kern County Public Health. Of those positions, eight were vacant, meaning 27 filled positions will be affected, resulting in layoffs.
Community members voiced concerns during public comment, emphasizing that the reductions would not only affect county workers, but also reduce access to essential services—particularly in already underserved areas—and further shrink an already strained public health workforce.
Iliana Rivera is a nurse practitioner, and she says, “Public health should be a service that is offered to all community residents and every community in the United States. And the fact that we are trying to cut it significantly in an area that's already underserved — we already don’t have enough providers — it’s just going to further impact our health.”
County officials explained that the department is facing a reduction of over $12 million in funding from both state and federal sources. While they reaffirmed their commitment to serving the public, they acknowledged that changes are necessary.
The Kern County Public Health Department currently operates with a $38 million budget and employs more than 200 staff members.
Jeff Flores the District 3 Supervisor says, “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.”
Public Health says there could be an elimination of 35 positions — and currently, 27 of those positions slated for deletion are filled.
Brynn Carrigan is the Director, for Kern County Public Health and she says, “I think what's important to understand is that we are still maintaining services in our clinic in our Bakersfield location. We are still here as an agency to serve our community, and we are still putting their health and safety at the forefront.”
The budget discussion itself was a separate agenda item, during which the Board took no formal action. They simply received and filed the information presented. Formal budget hearings are scheduled to begin on August 26 at 9:00 a.m., during the next Board of Supervisors meeting.
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