Adventist Health backs out of plan to reopen Madera Community Hospital

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Adventist Health will no longer be moving forward with a management plan that would help reopen Madera Community Hospital.

The 100-bed facility abruptly closed its doors last December after years of financial struggles, putting many residents in need of healthcare on edge.

In July, Adventist Health had agreed to manage the hospital in a non-binding letter of intent.

On Thursday, the healthcare company announced that it would no longer pursue taking over management of the hospital.

The company says the process of reopening the hospital would become too costly with the limited financial resources available.

"It's a disappointment because the people of the community in Madera and the surrounding areas have to seek emergency care and hospital care 30 minutes away in Fresno," explained Dan Lynch, Fresno and Madera County EMS Director.

Long ambulance rides aren't going away any time soon for Madera residents in need of urgent and emergency medical care.

Hopes dashed late Thursday afternoon that the Madera Community Hospital would re-open after Adventist Health said it's no longer pursuing managing the hospital.

The 100-bed facility abruptly closed its doors last December after years of financial struggles, putting many residents in need of healthcare on edge.

Lynch told Action News that his first responders must take patients to hospitals in Fresno or Merced.

"It's a concern in Madera county because we have a community that is 70,000 population without a hospital. For emergency care, it depends on an emergency medical services system like ambulances and first responders," explained Lynch.

With the hospital's closure, those ambulances and first responders now take an additional 15 or so people to other area hospitals, straining resources in other communities.

It seemed like that would change this past July when in a non-binding letter of intent, Adventist Health said it agreed to manage the hospital.

The announcement came as the state offered the hospital a two million dollar bridge loan, and Madera County allocated half a million dollars to the bankrupt hospital.

Just months later, it's back to the drawing board as Adventist Health backs out.

In a statement, the "faith-inspired nonprofit" said, in part, that it "was unable to find a fiscally viable solution for the costly process of reopening and operating a closed facility."

Now, Lynch hopes it doesn't spell the end.

"I'm hopeful that there's someone else out there that would look at Madera Community Hospital as a potential opening," Lynch said.

In a statement late Thursday night, Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria said that the Adventist announcement is "disappointing."

Soria has been a vocal proponent of re-opening the hospital, and she says that it remains her top priority as she and other officials look for possible partners.

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