Dr. John R. Owens, prominent in the medical community for being at the forefront of health care for women, has expanded his services to provide a wide range of standard to advanced Gynecological and Obstetrical services at the Kern Valley Healthcare District facilities. Recognized as a small, rural hospital nestled between Ridgecrest and Bakersfield, the Kern Valley Healthcare District has grown to provide exceptional medical care to 35,000 Kern River Valley residents and visitors – five times the population served by the District when it opened in 1968.

The District has access to the most up-to-date medical resources and recruits doctors like Dr. John Owens from neighboring areas to provide local patients with needed health care services, otherwise unavailable to residents in the Kern River Valley. Over the past several years, the Healthcare District has recognized the need for additional women’s health services in the area and has made an extended effort to provide residents with the opportunity to meet with and receive exceptional Gynecological and Obstetrical care from a prominent and experienced health care professional at the District’s facilities.

Since 2004, Dr. John R. Owens, a well-known OB/GYN with a private practice in Bakersfield, has been bringing Obstetrics and Gynecological services to the Kern Valley Healthcare District. Owens offers state-of-the-art surgical procedures at the District’s facilities, including endometrial ablation, a quick minimally invasive, safe and successful procedure that destroys the uterine lining – an option that many women prefer over a traditional hysterectomy which requires a much longer recovery time. Dr. Owens is an advocate of keeping surgery minimally invasive and takes pride in the District’s ability to provide great outpatient surgery to such a medically under-served area. Dr. Owens also provides bladder slings, labioplasty and other minimally invasive and time efficient procedures that Kern River Valley residents would not otherwise have convenient access to. “Many elderly patients in this area who need annual screenings don’t have them done due to the inconvenience of traveling to bordering cities such as Bakersfield. As a consulting physician to the Kern Valley Healthcare District, it is my mission to instill confidence in women about the hospital’s ability to provide patients with exceptional medical care,” said Owens.

Dr. Owens was born in Bakersfield and continue to reside there today. He received his medical degree at Loma Linda University and finished his residency in Bakersfield in 1978. One year later, he opened his own practice in Bakersfield where he has continued to operate for nearly 30 years. Owens has been the Chair of the Obstetrics/Gynecology committee at Memorial and San Joaquin Hospitals, and presently Chairs the Surgery Supervisory Committee at San Joaquin Hospital. He is Board Certified in OB/GYN, and was re-certified in 1995. Dr. Owens is also affiliated with a number of medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, the California Medical Association and the Kern County Medical Association.

The Kern Valley Healthcare District has offered quality medical care to patients throughout the Kern River Valley for four decades. The District is dedicated to providing high-quality, comprehensive patient care, pursuing the latest in technology and medical procedures and promoting the health, safety and well-being of all residents and visitors to the Kern River Valley. To learn more about the Kern Valley Healthcare District and the services offered, visit www.kvhd.org.