On September 16, 2015, The Advanced Women's Health Center was closed due to an investigation conducted by the Kern County District Attorney's Office.
Dr. Jason Helliwell, is being investigated by the State Department of Insurance and the allegations against him have not yet been made public.
In an email sent out this morning Helliwell addressed the investigation:
Many of you have seen stories about us recently in the news. Thank you for your calls and emails to ask us questions and offer support. We want to publicly share our perspective with you to keep you informed as much as we’re able.
First and foremost, the Advanced Women's Health Center has more than 10 years’ history serving thousands of patients in the Bakersfield community. Our goal is to offer the best possible health care for women, and the overwhelming majority of our patients will attest to the high quality of care we provide. Bakersfield is also our home. It’s where we live, where our children go to school, where our family attends church, and where we have put down deep roots. We’re committed to making this community a better place to live and work.
That said, we would like to set the record straight on issues that we’re working through:
1. A number of physicians' offices in Southern California, including ours, were visited in September by the California Department of Insurance (CDOI). We cooperated fully with the CDOI inquiry, which meant the unplanned closure of our office for one day while we provided information requested. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this caused our patients or the community at large.
2. Two allegations concerning patient care also received media attention. While we are not at liberty to comment specifically, please rest assured that we are cooperating fully with all inquiries related to these allegations. We stand by our conviction that care rendered was reasonable and appropriate.
We will answer any questions regarding our practice as expeditiously as possible while we devote full attention to serving our patients. We have three doctors and a compassionate staff to serve the medical needs of the patients who place their trust in us. We look forward to serving the Bakersfield community for years to come.
Thank you for your continued support,
Jason Helliwell, M.D. and Siniva Kaneen, M.D.
