Can Bakersfield Find Doctors Who Won’t Run Away?

Getting Enough Physicians To the Central Valley Is Tough—But, Say Some, Doable

Estimates of the severity of America’s looming physician shortage vary, but one thing is certain: Doctors and healthcare workers are not distributed evenly around the nation, and certain regions are suffering as a result. The San Joaquin Valley is one of those areas. At an event sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, a panel of healthcare experts discussed why Bakersfield and the Central Valley are facing a physician shortage—and what can be done about it.

Paul Hensler, CEO of Bakersfield’s Kern Medical Center, said that …