Resilient Kern is a coalition of 50 Kern County organizations, both public and private, that collaborate to enhance the strengths of residents to help each other build a better life.
Resilient Kern recognizes that residents of Kern County have a long history of building lives of great faith, strong belief in themselves and the importance each of us has to the others around us— our family, our friends and our community.
Resilient Kern celebrates our county’s history in building the institutions, schools, businesses, healthcare system and government structures that are designed to collaborate to help all succeed through a trauma-informed approach.
Resilient Kern also recognizes that many among us struggle with histories of personal trauma, especially in early childhood, that impact lifelong health and social outcomes.
The effects of long-lasting trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on children and adults has been documented in research for over 20 years. Since 2016, The Bakersfield Californian has highlighted the drastic impact of Toxic Stress on many of our Kern County citizens and communities that has substantially shortened people’s lives through diabetes, cancer, asthma, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide. Many of these conditions and experiences are linked to early childhood trauma that can occur across generations and seriously impact and impair families and communities, not just in Kern, but across our nation.
