Less than four months after the Kern County Board of Supervisors sliced away one-quarter of the county Department of Public Health’s annual budget, the Kern County grand jury is raising a number of red flags in response.
And they are asking supervisors to find a way to restore the funding.
In a report released Monday, the grand jury found that the $12.9 million cut to the department’s previous $51.1 million budget not only resulted in the loss of 35 positions in the department, it has already severely impacted many of the programs and services offered by the county department.
Those programs and services include public health outreach on diabetes, obesity and healthy living; home care services for seniors and medically fragile individuals; services provided to farmworkers and low-income families; services for children and veterans’ access to health care, addiction medicine and mental health services; and lab tests for diseases such as diabetes, valley fever and sexually transmitted diseases.
Meanwhile, Kern’s STD infection rate remains well above the state average, as does its diabetes and valley fever infection rates.
Another casualty was the Public Health clinic in Shafter, which was closed in an effort to cut costs.
“The DPH budget cuts will further impact shortages of doctors and nurses and cause economic strain due to rising costs,” the grand jury said in its report.
“Staff reductions will also be a key factor in the ability to provide the services needed,” the report asserted. “Reductions will affect everything from basic public health services to specialized care for vulnerable populations.
“Residents have voiced frustration and fear at public meetings, urging supervisors to reconsider layoffs and use county reserve funds instead,” the report said.
In its search for information and answers, the grand jury interviewed Kern County administrative staff directly involved in the budget cuts. Interviews also were conducted with DPH staff, Kern Medical and the members of the DPH Management Advisory Team, which was created to review current budget programs and to identify services that could be cut with the least impact to the community.
In its investigation the grand jury determined that the job cuts are absorbing about $5.5 million of the cuts. Jobs affected included public health nutritionists, outreach workers and a grant writer. The latter position, the grand jury noted, had the ability to secure new funding through grants.
In its report, the grand jury makes it clear that it is fully aware of the dire position the DPH finds itself in — and acknowledges that the $12.9 million shortfall reflects a significant decline in federal and state funding allocations.
Nevertheless, the grand jury included the following recommendations in its report:
• By Dec. 1, 2025, the DPH and Kern Medical should implement public service announcements through local media platforms to inform the public of other clinic locations available to receive treatment.
• By Dec. 1, 2025, the grand jury recommends the DPH and BOS work together to re-establish the grant writer position to acquire funding through available grants.
• Effective May 1, 2026, the Board of Supervisors should restore the DPH budget to 2024-2025 levels, adjusted for inflation.
• By May 1, 2026, additional funding for testing and treatment of STDs, diabetes and valley fever should be provided.
• By June 30, 2026, the Board of Supervisors should investigate merging the DPH clinical services into Kern Medical.
• By Feb. 1, 2027, the DPH should restore clinic services to Shafter.
• By Feb. 1, 2027, the DPH should restore services through their mobile unit.
The grand jury does not have the power to require county departments to make changes, but affected departments are required to publicly respond to its recommendations within a specific timeframe.
The Kern County Department of Public Health confirmed Monday that it is in receipt of the grand jury report and will respond within the allotted time.