Kern County moves to shrink public health clinic hours and cut staff after sudden state, federal funding losses

Kern County public health officials told the Board of Supervisors on July 29 that sudden state and federal funding changes have produced an immediate budget shortfall and a staff reduction plan that would reduce clinic appointments, end routine mobile clinic operations and close the Shafter office.

The announcement came during a Belinson hearing required under Health and Safety Code Section 1442.5 after Brynn Kerrigan, director of Kern County Public Health, said the department had lost roughly $12.5 million annually in discretionary state and federal support, including about $2 million from California's Future of Public Health initiative and about $10.5 million after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stop-work order. Kerrigan said the department faces an estimated $5.5 million budget gap for fiscal year 2025–26.

Kerrigan said the department had already taken several steps to reduce costs: rescinding pending job offers, deleting 27 vacant positions to save about $3.4 million annually, instituting a hiring freeze, halting nonessential overtime and travel, early termination of contracts and sunsetting some programs. She said those measures were not sufficient and presented a proposal that would preserve a reduced Bakersfield clinic but cut daily appointment capacity, end the routine mobile clinic schedule and fully close the Shafter public health office.

Why it matters: Kern…