BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors is rejecting the Grand Jury’s recommendations to restore the Public Health Department’s budget as well as the affected programs and services, according to a proposed response included in the meeting agenda for Tuesday.

In late March of 2025, the county received notice that some funding it received from the federal government through the state had a stop work order placed on it, according to Director of Kern County Public Health Brynn Carrigan.

The county was receiving about $10.5 million per year to provide different services to the community, Carrigan said.

In August, the Board approved a 25% budget cut to the Department of Public Health. The budget decreased from $51.1 million to $38.2 million in a year.

Kern County Grand Jury urges officials to restore Public Health budget, services

The department also laid off 27 employees and deleted eight vacant positions.

On Nov. 24, the Kern County Grand Jury published a report titled “Public Health – Budget Cuts vs. Safety Nets,” in which it investigates the state of the county’s health care services following the department’s budget cuts.

In the report, the jury said the budget cut’s impact is concerning. It also said the department’s safety net for the community, which provides services for those without care, has greatly weakened.

The county disagreed with some of the jury’s findings.

The county agreed restoring funds to budget levels in 2024-2025 could help maintain services and reducing workforce will, in turn, keep programs and services from being fully reintroduced.

The response also agreed the Public Health Department and Kern Medical provide the same clinical services.

While the county agreed the department received a significant federal and state funding cut, the changes the county made were “carefully planned” to minimize the impact.

The county also admitted reducing appointment availability through the department could lead to longer wait times, but said those who need care sooner can be referred to other providers like Kern Medical, Clinica Sierra Vista and Omni Family Health.

The response said losing the grant writer position wouldn’t completely eliminate the county’s ability to find new grants because the County Administrative Office has another position that helps find and apply for grants.

The Grand Jury made several recommendations to the county regarding the public’s health care services:

Restore the DPH budget to 2024-2025 level adjusted for inflation by May 1, 2026 to ensure proper restoration of services for the residents of Kern County

Provide additional funding for testing and treatment of STDs, diabetes, and Valley Fever by May 1, 2026.

Implement Public Service Announcements (PSAs) through local media platforms by Dec. 1, 2025, to inform the public of other clinic locations available to receive treatment

Restore clinic services to Shafter by Feb. 1, 2027

Restore services through their mobile unit by Feb. 1, 2027

Re-establish the grant writer position by Dec. 1, 2025, to acquire funding through available grants

Investigate merging the DPH clinical services into Kern Medical by June 30, 2026

The Board rejected five of the seven recommendations by the Grand Jury. The remaining two recommendations need “further analysis,” the proposed response said.

The Board said it will not restore the department’s budget to the previous year’s level adjusted for inflation, saying restoration would require reductions in other areas due to lost federal and state funding.

It also rejected restoring clinic services in the city of Shafter. The response said services have been limited and the number of patient visits have gone down since 2015 — there were 455 patient visits in 2015 and only 33 in 2024 — prior to funding cuts.

Public Health has worked with Omni Family Health who operates a federally qualified healthcare facility in Shafter and developed a referral process for all Shafter residents to use Omni Family Health’s services, the response said.

The county also continues to provide field nursing services in all areas of Kern, including Shafter, according to the response.

County officials said they won’t consider merging Public Health’s clinical services into Kern Medical. They said a full closure of the department’s clinical services could have “catastrophic impacts” on the county’s ability to respond to a mass medical emergency and would require more consideration.

The response said merging would make the county ineligible to receive emergency medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile — including emergency medications, vaccines or other therapeutic interventions — as the department would lack equipment, staff, training or licenses to manage those supplies.

Merging services into Kern Medical would also worsen the county’s challenges with its health care infrastructure in large-scale emergencies, the response said.

“Kern County Public Health has the flexibility and support to quickly establish mass distribution centers, shelters, and alternative care sites, while regular healthcare facilities continue their regular care duties,” the response read.

“Without a clinic, associated clinical staffing, and clinic infrastructure (supplies, medical record system, licenses), the Department will no longer have the ability to immediately administer vaccinations or medications to the public.

Officials also said they wouldn’t re-establish the grant writer position.

The county will further analyze the possibility of restoring mobile unit services and providing more funding for sexually transmitted diseases, diabetes and Valley Fever testing and treatment, the response said.

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The Board of Supervisors is slated to approve the proposed response on Tuesday to be submitted to the Presiding Judge of the Kern County Superior Court, according to the agenda.

The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. at 1115 Truxtun Ave.

Read the full proposed response by the Board of Supervisors below.

Kern BOS Proposed Response to Public Health – Budget Cuts Vs. Safety NetDownload

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