Justin Cave, the CEO of Advanced Center for Eyecare, was blessed with the opportunity to talk about ACE on KFRB’s public service program “Community Issues.” Listen to the program or read the transcript to learn more about ACE.
[Announcer] – This is community issues, a local public affairs program focusing on the problems needs and interests of our community. And now your host for “Community Issues”, Carol Winkler.
[Carol Winkler] – On today’s program our guest is Justin Cave. He is the CEO of Advanced Center for Eyecare, ACE. And Justin, welcome to the program.
[Justin Cave] – Thank you so much for this opportunity.
[Carol Winkler] – Well, it’s our pleasure and you know, let’s start… for any of our listeners who are not aware of Advanced Center for Eyecare, ACE, start there and tell us about ACE and then if you would share your mission.
[Justin Cave] – Sure, Advanced Center for Eyecare is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) optometry and ophthalmology clinic. We provide comprehensive eye exams, diabetic eye exams, eye surgery, optical department and low vision exams. Our mission is to serve the underserved population of Kern County with restoring sight and preventing blindness.
[Carol Winkler] – Well, is there a large need for access to vision care in Kern County?
[Justin Cave] – Absolutely! Many people in Kern County do not have access to quality eye care, mainly because of the insurance they have, or lack thereof. There’s definitely a shortage of specialty providers in the area, and so what happens is… people generally have insurance and what will happen is doctors won’t accept it, just because of the low paying options that are given with that specific plan.
[Carol Winkler] – Well, who do you serve and how do they find their way to you?
[Justin Cave] – We serve anybody and everybody. We primarily focus on the underserved population of Kern County, meaning folks who have any type of MediCal insurance, or any type of MediCal HMO insurance. And they can find us in provider directories, they can find us on the web at www.acecares.org. We have all of our social media platforms, especially Google, Yelp, those types of things. We also do a lot of health fairs, where we promote our services to the community as well and offer free vision screenings and those services.
[Carol Winkler] – And you are a 501(c)(3) also aren’t you?
[Justin Cave] – We are… all donations are tax deductible, we are a 501(c)(3), correct.
[Carol Winkler] – You know, I want to ask, I want to have you tell us more about your optometry services. But before we go there, would you explain the difference between optometry and ophthalmology?
[Justin Cave] – Absolutely, so an optometrist is someone that you go to for a comprehensive eye exam, somebody that you go to to get a pair of glasses or contact lenses. An ophthalmologist is a surgeon. He’s a person that… he or she is a person that performs surgery on your eyes and is actually a medical doctor, they have an MD and they specialize in the eyes. So, if you think about it… an optometrist prescribes you glasses and an ophthalmologist would do surgery or they would take care of your medical eye disease.
[Carol Winkler] – Ok, well that clarifies that, thank you! I’ve always wondered… on one hand, I will know it and then next thing I’m going “now I can’t remember which is which”… so thank you. Now, tell us more about the optometry services you provide.
[Justin Cave] – We have a wide variety of optometry services. Our optometrists are highly qualified individuals, who have gone through residency and gone through extensive training. They manage eye disease and they perform refraction, which means that they help people see better. They specialize in those areas and they also specialize in children vision improvement as well. So we have three optometrists that are employed with us. We have one who specializes in low vision, which means a person who is legally blind, they actually cannot see the big E on the eye chart, that means they are 20 over 200. We have people that help with finding devices and finding sort of glasses in different types of magnification or microscopes to help people see better and deal with the vision loss that they’re experiencing.
[Carol Winkler] – A question about the low vision… I mean does this impact children or are we usually talking about senior citizens?
[Justin Cave] – Primarily it affects senior citizens. As you age, you know, your vision decreases and a lot of times seniors are left with needing to read prescription bottles, or needing to read the mail, or wanting to read the newspaper, and there’s a lot of devices out there that can help them read those things better. And we provided, you know, assistance in helping people figure out what is the best fit for them. Sometimes children are born with legal blindness or some sort of vision problem that they have and they need some assistance with as well. So we can specialize and help in those areas. And if not, then we refer to our partners down at UCLA or Jules Stein Institute who help with managing those cases.
[Carol Winkler] – Now for anyone who’s just joining us, today we’re talking with Justin Cave. He is the CEO of Advanced Center for Eyecare located right here in Bakersfield. Justin, before we continue, would you go ahead and give your website and also a phone number for anyone who would like more information regarding ACE.
[Justin Cave] – Absolutely, our website is www.acecares.org and you can reach us at 661-215-1006. We would be happy to make an appointment for you and verify your insurance to make sure that there’s the least cost out of pocket to you.
[Carol Winkler] – Well, now, how important are regular comprehensive eye exams? I mean, do we really need to take them like every year?
[Justin Cave] – You really have to think about your eyes. There is a focus that we have going on right now where we’re talking… we’re asking people to think about their eyes. You use your eyes constantly. No one wants to lose their vision, it is so important to have comprehensive eye exams. The eyes are a window into your health. A lot of times, eye doctors would be the first to recognize diabetes in a person. Comprehensive eye exams every year are extremely important, especially in children, and especially in adults. Everyone should have an eye exam every twelve months. You really have to think about your eyes. No one, no one that I can think of wants to lose their eyesight.
[Carol Winkler] – So, if somebody needs glasses, can you help them with that?
[Justin Cave] – Absolutely, we have a full functioning optical department where we usually have a great turnaround time depending on your needs and what your prescription is. And we usually like to get those out within ten days to you, so we have a wide variety of frames, selections that your insurance covers, and we usually get your glasses out to you within ten days.
[Carol Winkler] – Well, that’s really good… Let’s talk about ophthalmology. What ophthalmology services to you provide?
[Justin Cave] – We have a complement of ophthalmology services. We provide medical eye disease treatment. We provide eye surgeries, like cataracts surgery. We provide, it’s called Pterygium surgery. It’s basically a growth on the eye that exists and sometimes causes red itchy scratchy eyes. And so a lot of times people get them, especially if they’re working outside, especially in a climate like Bakersfield where it’s very dry, windy, sunny, hot… A lot of times people get growths on their eye that are called pterygia and they need those removed. So, our doctors specialize in cataract surgery for folks who have a clouding of the lens. And we need to take that lens out and replace it with a new one so that they can see better. And, pterygia surgery that is a growth on the eye. So, a lot of those occurrences in Bakersfield, especially with the hot and bright sunny days that we have here.
[Carol Winkler] – Today we’re talking with Justin Cave. He is the CEO of Advanced Center for Eyecare located right here in Bakersfield. Justin, how does somebody access your services? And then of course, how do they pay for them?
[Justin Cave] – Well, we accept medical insurance, so we accept MediCal types of insurance. We accept Kern Family Health Care, we accept HealthNet, Vision Services, and we accept MediCare. We have a sliding scale program for folks who are unable to pay for service, or who need discounted services with no insurance. And then we also have grant programs that help provide services for people at absolutely no charge. So, just depending on where you fall on the spectrum, and what your needs are, we have all those programs available.
[Carol Winkler] – Now, tell us about your school-based vision clinics. I’m not familiar with this program.
[Justin Cave] – Yes, we have a fantastic partnership and a lot of times children in lower-income areas don’t receive the healthcare that they need. A lot of times, access is really really a big issue. So we have a partnership with the Bakersfield City School District and we provide vision services right on campus for children. So, we have an eye doctor on campus four days a week, where they provide comprehensive eye exams and they have glasses right there that the child can pick out and take home within ten days. So they don’t miss school and the services are easily accessible for the children and families. So, it’s been an amazing partnership. In our first year, our first academic year, we’ve seen over a thousand children. It’s been extremely successful. Bakersfield City School District has wellness centers and they provide primary care, they provided vision and they provide behavioral health services. So, this is a new age of doing business in the schools and trying to make sure that children are healthy, so that they can perform, you know, at their peak academic levels. And we are so proud to be a part of that.
[Carol Winkler] – It’s a great partnership… it’s a great partnership…
[Justin Cave] – Right, obviously if a child is unable to see the board or has a vision issue, the teacher can immediately talk to the parent and tell them that these services are right there on campus for them to access. And we can basically get them in very very quickly.
[Carol Winkler] – Justin, we’re just about out of time, but I wanted to ask you… what do you see as your biggest challenge to accomplishing ACE’s mission?
[Justin Cave] – I would say, making sure that all of the people who need care receive the care. There’s such a high need in Kern County that we wish that we could be open seven days a week. But, at this point, you know, funding is limited for that. And we are able… we have so many patients that need our services and need the help, that we could be open seven days a week, fourteen hours a day, and we probably wouldn’t be able to get to all of them. So, I would say that’s the largest challenge. It’s just making sure that everyone who needs our services are getting them.
[Carol Winkler] – Justin, before we close, one last time why don’t you give your website and phone number.
[Justin Cave] – Our website is www.acecares.org and you can reach us at 661-215-1006.
[Carol Winkler] – Justin, I can’t thank you enough for taking the time and sharing your program with all of our listeners.
[Justin Cave] – Well, thank you very much for the opportunity and it’s always a pleasure for me to talk about the work that we do in the community. So, thank you again!
[Carol Winkler] – Our pleasure! Again, we’ve been talking with Justin Cave. He’s the CEO of Advanced Center for Eyecare and this is Carol Winkler for “Community Issues”.
[Announcer] The opinions and views expressed on “Community Issues” are not necessarily those of this station or management. This program is presented as a public service.
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