Adventist Health offering free childhood vaccines in January
Adventist Health Bakersfield will be offering free childhood immunizations against vaccine-preventable diseases at the following dates and sites this month:
■ Wednesday, Jan. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Albertson’s, 1520 Brundage Lane, Bakersfield
■ Monday, Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Greenfield Family Resource Center, 5400 Monitor St., Bakersfield
■ Wednesday, Jan. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kern County Department of Human Services, 100 E. California Ave., Bakersfield
■ Tuesday, Jan. 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at La Hacienda Market, 315 James St., Shafter
■ Wednesday, Jan. 20 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Adventist Health Bakersfield, 2800 Chester Ave., Bakersfield
■ Wednesday, Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at New Life Church 4201 Stine Road, Bakersfield
■ Thursday, Jan. 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Vallarta Market, 600 Bear Mountain Blvd., Arvin.
Vaccines are free to children under age 18 without insurance, those who are enrolled in Medi-Cal or who are American Indian or Native Alaskan. Those over age 5 need an appointment. Clinics close for lunch between 11:30 a.m. and noon. Hemoglobin test is also available to children, expectant and postpartum mothers, though a WIC, school or doctor’s referral is required.
You may call 869-6740 for additional instructions.
Julie Sprenger, previously the president of Dignity Health Southern California, has been named to a new role in the company: President of Common Spirit Health’s newly expanded Southern California Division.
Sprenger oversaw Dignity Health Hospitals in Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County and Clark County, Nevada. Now she will also be overseeing hospitals on the Central Coast and Central California — a total of 21 facilities, which include Memorial Hospital, Mercy Southwest and Mercy Downtown, according to Dignity Health spokesperson Christina Zicklin.
According to a release from the company, Common Spirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system that was created in February 2019 through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. The company has centers in 21 states. This new Southern California division will be the largest in Common Spirit Health, with $6 billion in revenue.
Sprenger began her career two decades ago as an emergency room nurse. She was previously the senior vice president of operations for Dignity Health Southern California.
Recently, she served on the Los Angeles Surge Hospital (LASH), which was a public-private partnership between California, Los Angeles County, Dignity Health and Kaiser Permanente. She also served as its CEO for the temporary facility, which provided ICU services to COVID-19 patients.
“I’m looking forward to learning all I can about our diverse markets and working with our incredibly dedicated teams across Southern California to expand access to affordable, high-quality health care,” Sprenger said, in a release. “Now, more than ever, it’s essential to reassure our communities that we are here for them.”