SHAFTER, Calif. \u2013 Months after a public health clinic shut down in the city of Shafter, health officials say they are continuing to weigh options for health services in the community.<\/p>\n
The clinic was operated by the Kern County Department of Public Health, which faced significant budget cuts this year after a vote by the county\u2019s Board of Supervisors. The board approved cuts that amounted to just over $12 million<\/a> and led to layoffs in addition to diminished services.<\/p>\n Some clinics \u2013 like Omni Health and Adventist Health \u2013 still offer services in the community, but a recent grand jury report highlighted the budget cuts to the public health department as concerning because they had \u201cgreatly weakened\u201d the safety net provided by the county\u2019s public health department.<\/p>\n The grand jury said<\/a> Shafter\u2019s public health clinic closure in July would impact primarily people without access to reliable transportation, and recommended the county restore the clinic by 2027.<\/p>\n In the meantime, the Kern County Department of Public Health is providing \u201cfield services\u201d to the city, as it does to other parts of the county, according to Michelle Corson, the department\u2019s spokeswoman.<\/p>\n She said a public health nurse maintains a caseload in Shafter, despite not having a clinic location. She said residents can still access services at the department\u2019s main location in Bakersfield. She added the department has developed a referral process for residents in Shafter to seek services directly by the department from other clinics if needed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are monitoring the need. If a demand for services arises that cannot be met by the other clinics in the area, we will reevaluate a potential change to service delivery at that time,\u201d Corson said.<\/p>\n The health department typically responds to chronic health issues within the county. Kern County has one of the state\u2019s highest rates of sexually transmitted infections and Valley Fever, for example. And the county also has one of the highest rates of people enrolled in government subsidized health insurance.<\/p>\n Suzanne McWhorter, a nurse with the Kern County Public Health Department and a member of the SEIU 521 union said she was transferred from Shafter to Delano after the clinic\u2019s closure. She said her caseload and her travel time has increased since the Shafter clinic closed and staff was lost.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we staffed Shafter and Wasco, rural families could walk in for immunizations and STD referrals,\u201d McWhorter said. \u201cNow, local doctors are delaying appointments.\u201d<\/p>\n McWhorter said the county needs more nurses.<\/p>\n