Kern's largest health plan, dipping again into its financial reserves for the sake of local underserved communities, on Thursday came up with $20 million to help address what it sees as the biggest challenges facing the delivery of health care across the county.

Half the money Kern Health Systems announced giving local partners will go toward its top priority of expanding the county's health-care workforce. The rest is being divided among three other pressing concerns, in this order: improving access to care, recruiting and retaining medical professionals, and broadening provision of social services with the help of community organizations.