The Bakersfield City School District has opened its another wellness center for students, their fourth since 2016. School Healthcare Coordinator Terri Lindsay says the Jewett Street Wellness Center at Stella Hills Elementary School serves families who have don’t have their own provider or can’t get to one. “By having the wellness centers here, those students can now access services within the school and we can determine if the student needs to go home or they can return to the classroom,” which ultimately means its less likely school will be missed. The other Wellness Centers are at Garza and McKinley Elementary Schools, and the South Chester Partnership Resource Center. Over eight-thousand students have been served by the first three wellness centers, which also provide vision services and partner with Kern Health Systems. The Bakersfield City School District is the largest K through 8th grade district in the state.

Suzanne Grant