Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains introduced the Grow Our Own Doctors Act last week. If passed, the University of California (UC) system would have a year to build a medical school in Kern County, and if they don’t, California State University, Bakersfield, or the Kern Community College District would have the authority to do so.
According to a press release, the California Master Plan for Higher Education from 1960 gave the UC system exclusive authority to award doctoral degrees in medicine within California. The release adds that Kern County has been experiencing a doctor shortage since 1978 and that the Central Valley is one of the poorest regions in the state, with the worst access to healthcare. The release explains that the Central Valley has 157 medical doctors per 100,000 people, compared to 411 in the Bay Area, and that there are fewer than 45 primary care physicians per 100,000 people, compared to the state average of 156.
“We’ve been waiting on the UC to act since the Carter Administration,” said Bains in the release. “I wasn’t even born when the federal government first declared a doctor shortage in Kern County. We cannot wait another half-century for the UC to decide we are worthy of their investment. If they won’t build it, we will.”
According to supply-and-demand research by the California Department of Healthcare Access and Information, Kern County was considered to be in a severe shortage in 2022 and is projected to remain so by 2033.
Pawan Gill, Health Equity Manager at Kern Health Systems, spoke about Kern County being in a healthcare desert and why initiatives to train students within the county are so important.
“When we create pathways for students from Kern County to pursue careers in medicine, nursing, behavioral health, and allied health professions — and train them here — we dramatically increase the likelihood that they will stay and serve here. Homegrown providers understand the cultural diversity, transportation barriers, and unique needs of our agricultural, mountain, and desert communities because they’ve lived them,” said Gill.
Gill explained that when assessing equitable access to care, it is important to look at the county as a whole and in smaller regions, given the county’s size. For example, she stated that if someone has an immediate issue and needs to see their primary care provider, the ability to do so may look “vastly different” in Mojave or Taft than in Lake Isabella. She stated that even in the most populated areas of the county, there is still a shortage.
“When we talk about quality and access, it’s not only how good a treatment is once you get it, but what is your access? What’s your appointment wait time?” said Gill.
She added that retaining doctors in Kern County is also important for specialty care, as patients often have to drive long distances to receive care. Gill said the Kern Health Equity Partnership conducted an assessment of access to care study in East Kern, looking at where clinics were, what hours they were seeing patients, and when specialty care was available.
Gill stated that in areas with less access to providers and specialty care, hours are longer, and she added that those barriers affect human behavior.
“If I call three times and I’m trying to get an appointment and I’m not able to, chances are I may start disengaging and not then engaging or trusting the healthcare system, which means my health outcome is probably going to be a lot less,” said Gill. “So, I think the physician shortage and the just healthcare worker shortage in general has a significant impact on the communities that they serve.”
She added that while people may have become desensitized to hearing that the county is experiencing a doctor shortage, it is important to realize that it affects daily health outcomes.
“This isn’t a pie-in-the-sky conversation that is like above our day-to-day, because it really does affect our health outcomes. And so, any chance at progress and any chance of having an influx of healthcare workers will only strengthen our county,” said Gill, adding that it is important for the community to stay informed and engaged. “So when you see initiatives that come out that would help attract more programs locally where we can grow our own workforce, support those, understand the impact, and realize what that means for our community.”
