On April 9, ACE and the Bakersfield City School District cut the ribbon on the BCSD Jewett Avenue School-Based Wellness and Vision Center, which makes desperately needed wellness and vision care services more accessible to the over 31,000 elementary and middle school students of the district. Located at Stella Hills Elementary, this wellness and vision center is the fourth such clinic in Bakersfield brought to fruition through a partnership between the Bakersfield City School District (BCSD) and Advanced Center for Eyecare (ACE). At these centers, BCSD School Health staff, including nurse practitioners and social workers, provide students with medical and mental health care, while ACE optometrists provide kids with comprehensive eye exams and glasses, all with no out-of-pocket cost to the families. In 2018, ACE provided 3,460 eye exams and 1,719 pairs of glasses to underserved kids through its school-based vision clinics. Through the new Jewett Avenue Wellness and Vision Center, ACE looks forward to helping even more kids in our community.
ACE is blessed with a strong partnership with the Bakersfield City School District.
To help underprivileged kids get the eye care they need, the Jewett Avenue Wellness and Vision Center features two eye exam rooms with equipment sponsored by OneSight, an independent nonprofit committed to eradicating the global vision care crisis. A generous grant from Chevron helps ACE provide glasses to children without insurance.
The Jewett Avenue Wellness and Vision Center located at Stella Hills Elementary.
The Bakersfield City School District (BCSD) is the largest elementary school district in California, serving approximately 30,000 students across 44 schools. The district operates on an annual General Fund Budget of over $400 million with approximately 3,000 personnel. Of the district’s approximate 30,700 students, 79% are Hispanic with 9% white and 8% African American. The remaining 4% are primarily Asian, Filipino, and America Indian/Alaskan. Almost 30% of the district’s students are classified as English Language Learners and almost 90% of the district’s students receive free or reduced lunches. BCSD is governed by a publicly-elected five-member Board of Education consisting of community members living within the boundaries of the school district.
The Advanced Center for Eyecare has had the tremendous pleasure to partner with OneSight on many local sight-restoring projects since 2012. Through seven multi-day vision clinics, which were held at schools, resource centers, malls, and fairgrounds throughout Kern County, ACE and OneSight have to-date helped over 4,600 local school children with free eye exams and glasses. At the OneSight School-Based Vision Centers in the Bakersfield City School District and Delano Union Elementary School District, ACE optometrists have been able to provide over 6,800 eye exams and over 3,300 pairs of glasses to students in need, at no cost to the families.
OneSight, a global nonprofit 501(c)(3) sponsored and founded by Luxottica, is dedicated to providing sustainable access to a comprehensive eye exam and quality eyewear to those in need around the world. Over the past 30 years, OneSight has helped over 10 million people in 46 countries and 49 states see clearly. With the help of dedicated partners, over 88 permanent vision centers are operating today, providing ongoing access to vision care to more than 16 million people. By the end of 2018, 15 OneSight school-based vision centers will be open providing nearly 500,000 students and their families with access to vision care and glasses. For more information, visit www.onesight.org.
