The Bakersfield Californian recently took on one of the most ambitious health care quality projects I have seen attempted by an outlet outside of the really big markets. One reporter, Kellie Schmitt, wanted to answer two questions: whether most of the doctors in Kern County were from another country and whether that mattered.
More than 5,000 doctors from sub-Saharan Africa practice in the United States. That migration has had "a significant negative" effect on the ratios of doctors to population in Africa.
Kern County, with similar geography and population to Fresno, decided to enter the new health insurance program called Bridge to Reform. On the way, Kern has stumbled upon many challenges, but for some patients, the program has changed their lives.
It's no surprise that the Central Valley is a medically underserved community, where recruiting doctors is a tough task. Many of the doctors working here have attended medical school overseas. In fact, if you crunch the numbers, Kern County comes in fourth among California's 58 counties for having the most foreign-trained doctors.
Obesity is a growing issue in Kern County: it does not discriminate and affects all areas, incomes and ethnicities. In Lisa Krch's special report she explores how the environment affects personal health and ways in which the local government is fighting back.
Estela Casas is executive director of Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, a nonprofit organization that promotes social change and justice by providing high-quality legal services to the low-income community. For over 35 years, the law practice has helped thousands of Kern County's poorest and most vulnerable residents with an array of legal issues, predominantly involving housing, family and children services, senior services, and maintaining economic stability.
Carmen Burgos is program manager for the Kern Health Consumer Center (KHCC), a service agency that helps low-income residents of Kern County navigate the health care system. KHCC is a project of Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, a nonprofit organization offering free legal services in civil matters to low-income residents of Kern County. KHCC is a part of the Health Consumer Alliance, a united effort of nine legal services agencies to address the health access problems of California consumers, particuarly low-income consumers.
Jinadu is a former Kern County public health director and health officer who is now in private practice.
Art Sponseller is president and chief executive officer of the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, a nonprofit hospital and health system trade association representing 190 hospitals in 50 of California's 58 counties -- from Kern County to the Oregon border. The Hospital Council's membership includes hospitals and health systems ranging from small, rural hospitals to large, urban medical centers. The Hospital Council works to influence state and federal legislation and regulatory issues.
