Vanguard medical celebrating 5 years

It has been five years since a group of local physicians and administrators decided to form a corporation that would give the residents of Shafter, Wasco and the surrounding communities a personalized option for their healthcare needs.

Vanguard Medical Corp. is owned by Dr. Chan Park, and it has a staff of local doctors who have gathered together to give the local residents a unique service in which they are cared for by a company that offers a variety of services in a close knit family atmosphere.

'We wanted to give the community a service that makes the patients feel more like they are visiting a private practice, instead of going to a big corporation that doesn't give that personalized service," Sunner said.

Park and several other doctors, some of whom had worked together previously at National Health Services (now known as Omni Health Corp.) put to together Vanguard. "We wanted to form a group that would keep the community healthy while giving them the entire menu of options without having to go to a big company."

Vanguard Medical Corp. offers general practice medicine, as well as chiropractic services. They also have on staff an OB-GYN.

The group loves the small town atmosphere of the communities that they serve. "We love the community and think that they deserve the best care available to them without losing that personal touch that we can give them."

Vanguard takes all major medical insurances including Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Kern Family Health Care and many others. They take appointments but they also welcome walk-ins in both of their facilities. They had a new addition recently when they acquired the practice of Dr. Jae Kim, a longtime physician in Shafter. "Dr. Kim wanted to keep treating his patients, but didn't want to deal with the daily paperwork and business side of the practice. So, we took over this aspect of the practice, allowing Dr. Kim to concentrate on his patients without the hassle of the business side of it," commented Sunner.

Vanguard Shafter facility is on Kern Street, and in 2018, they added a location in Wasco, which offers all of the same services as the Shafter location. Dr. Sunner also added that they will be adding another physician to their fold. "We have a doctor who has been in Shafter as long as Dr. Kim joining us in July. Dr. Jong Moon will be joining Vanguard and will have the same advantages as Dr. Kim, letting him enjoy treating his loyal patients without the headaches of all of the paperwork that goes with it."