California moves forward with legislation to create new medical school

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California took another step toward creating a new medical school that aims to improve health care access while fighting a shortage of physicians.

On Sept. 29, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Grow Our Own Bill, an effort by Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, MD (D-Delano), a specialist in family medicine and addiction medicine. The legislation mandates and establishes a new funding pool for creation of a University of California medical school in Kern County, part of a region with some of the worst health care outcomes in the nation’s most populous state.

“As a family doctor providing care to the most underserved areas of California and past chair of the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission, and now as the assemblywoman, I transformed my experiences and work into a vision for a healthier future for Kern County,” Bains said in a news release announcing the signing.

“This is a dream come true for the valley,” she said. “Your zip code should not determine how long you will live.

“While we still have a ways to go before we can get shovels in the ground, I am excited we can move forward with this transformational project for Kern County,” she added.

Planning and funding

California Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, MD

The Grow Our Own Bill requires the University of California to build a medical school in Kern County once funding thresholds are met. To do that, the California State Treasury will open an endowment in January 2025 allowing multiple sources to contribute to the medical school's initial and ongoing funding, according to the legislative summary provided by Bains’ office.

The plan already has a roster of support that is significant, Bains said. Backers include The Wonderful Company, Kaiser Permanente, American Pistachio Growers, SEIU California, Blue Shield, California Life Sciences, Kern Health Systems, The City of Shafter, The City of Wasco, and the Wasco Union High School District, among many others.

Health care shortage

Earlier this year, Bains spoke to Medical Economics about her experience as a physician who became an elected legislator. Her run for office and the creation of a new medical school were inspired by the conditions of residents and her community.

“With a new medical school, Kern County can be a hub of medical innovation and economic activity, improve healthcare access, create good-paying jobs in the healthcare sector and the businesses that support the healthcare sector, and diversify our local economy,” Bains said in her announcement. “This project is a win-win-win for our community.”

The University of California, in its own research, found that the Valley is one of California's Central Valley is of the fastest-growing, but poorest and least-healthy regions, of the state. Bains’ announcement noted one of the driving factors behind the poorer health care outcomes is the lack of physicians.

In 2021, the California Health Care Foundation reported that the San Joaquin Valley had just 47 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents, short of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recommended supply ratio of 60-80 per 100,000 and the state average of 60 per 100,000. The American Medical Association estimates that over 83 million Americans currently live in areas with insufficient access to primary care physicians, she said.

Additional help

Bains said her plan for a new medical school is her third bill from the legislature’s current session signed by Newsom to expand or protect health care in Kern County.

On Sept. 27, the governor signed legislation known as AB 2376. It will streamline regulatory requirements to allow health care facilities to accept more patients for addiction and substance use disorder treatments. On Sept. 22, Newsom signed AB 2451, which will help law enforcement officers work with experts to create response plans for wandering associated with Alzheimer disease, autism and dementia.