Kern Medical Center: labor and delivery in Bakersfield, CA
Kern Medical Center is a hospital in Bakersfield, Kern County, California that delivers babies. It handled 2,576 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 28% delivered by C-section (694 such births). That is above the California rate of 25% and above the U.S. median of 26%.
- 28%First-birth C-section rate
- 2,576Deliveries in 2025
- YesBirthing-Friendly designation
- 660Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 2 of 5Patient survey stars
- 1 of 5Overall hospital stars
Birth services at Kern Medical Center
- Newborn care: Level III NICU
Address and phone
1700 Mount Vernon Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93306
Kern County
Call (661) 326-2000 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Acute Care hospital
- Ownership: Government, hospital district
How Kern Medical Center compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 28% | 25% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 660 | 286 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 122 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Bottom 25% (most complications).
In California, Kern Medical Center has the 127th-lowest first-birth C-section rate of 179 hospitals that report one.
The first-birth C-section rate counts first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby. Complication rates are adjusted for patient risk. Our data explains each number.
What patients say
- Patient survey summary: 2 of 5 stars
- 59% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital
- 59% of patients rated this hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
Survey results cover all patients at the hospital, not only maternity patients.
Birthing-Friendly designation
Kern Medical Center holds the federal Birthing-Friendly designation. Hospitals earn it by taking part in a perinatal quality collaborative and following maternal safety practices.
Other hospitals that deliver babies near Bakersfield
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield Memorial Hospital | Bakersfield | 2.3 | 28% | 2,819 | Yes |
| Adventist Health Bakersfield | Bakersfield | 2.9 | 26% | 2,498 | Yes |
| Mercy Hospital | Bakersfield | 3.4 | 30% | 1,922 | Yes |
| Adventist Health Delano | Delano | 30 | 21% | 552 | Yes |
| Sierra View Medical Center | Porterville | 48 | 36% | 688 | Yes |
| Antelope Valley Hospital | Lancaster | 66 | 30% | 3,265 | Yes |
More labor and delivery in Bakersfield
More in Kern County
- Adventist Health Delano (Delano)
- Ridgecrest Regional Hospital (Ridgecrest)
Hospitals in Bakersfield that do not offer labor and delivery: Good Samaritan Hospital, LP.
All hospitals in Bakersfield · Kern County · All California hospitals