Jason White, an officer with the Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) suffered a medical emergency while at work on June 2, 2022. He was taken to the ER by a fellow officer and his blood pressure on arrival was 263/185. He subsequently had four strokes, went into respiratory failure and fell into a coma. He was placed on a ventilator, had a feeding tube and tracheostomy procedure. He spent the next three months on the ventilator until he could breathe on his own through a trach.

He has been in and out of seven different facilities, most of which are in the Los Angeles and Ventura areas. There have been many setbacks such as contractures and multiple infections. The trach was finally removed and he began to wake up and became responsive in November. He is talking more frequently now but suffers from aphasia. He sometimes remembers who people are and sometimes he cannot. He is currently unable to walk and cannot move his arms or hands much. His family hopes he will continue to receive therapy in Bakersfield at a neurology center. Proper therapy is extremely important for someone in his condition. It will take a long time but they are hopeful he can regain function in his arms and legs.

Jason is 44 years old and has been with the BPD for over 16 years. He is married and has four children. His family has been by his side day and night to make sure he is getting the care he deserves.

Worker’s compensation denied his claim and the family appealed. His case is still pending and they have been told it could take several more months to determine.

Jason’s leave ran out and his fellow officers have been donating time to him to get them through the last few months. Jason will have to begin the process to medically retire and there will be no income for his family until it is finalized. Medical retirement will only give him 33% of his previous income. He carried the benefits for himself and his family and is now at risk of losing them. This would prevent him from getting the right doctors and therapy he needs to keep improving.

He will soon be home and his family will have to provide care for him 24/7. They do not qualify for any aid or caregiver assistance at this time. They have extra costs like travel expenses, deductibles and will need many items not covered by insurance to care for him adequately. This is a financial nightmare for this struggling family due to cracks and failures in the system.

If you know Jason, I’m sure he has made you laugh with his movie quotes/jokes, has helped you out, or been there when you needed a friend. He is a good father and loving husband that is currently living all of our worst nightmare. This has been a long journey for him and his family, and he still has a long road ahead. With help and support they can afford to keep his benefits and get him the proper care he needs to make it through the next few months to win the battle with workers comp.

We know he will appreciate everyone who helps by supporting him and his family either monetarily or with prayers and if you can both.