May 9, 2023 — Madera County Board of Supervisors
Documented by Josef Sibala
What happened: At its Tuesday meeting, the Madera County Board of Supervisors approved several studies in an effort to address the county’s health care crisis, following the closure of Madera Community Hospital.
County Administrative Officer Jay Varney said the hospital continues to go through the bankruptcy process and that licensing for the hospital is due for renewal on May 26, which is required if it were to reopen as an “acute health care hospital.”
To explore the feasibility of another entity acquiring the hospital and reopening it, the supervisors approved an agreement with consultant, Force 10 Partners, LLC. It entails three separate studies at a total cost of $400,000 to $440,000, but Varney said they will not be required to proceed with all three if there is no business case to be made.
The supervisors also earmarked $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for a separate study to identify the health care service needs of the mountain communities and to determine sustainable methods of delivering those services in the future.
Andrea Uribe from Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability echoed residents in La Vina who said that the pandemic relief funds should not be allocated for the hospital. She said that residents doubt the funds will actually help reopen the hospital and that it will not address the needs of their community.
Varney said that legislation is sitting on the governor’s desk that would create a revolving fund for distressed hospitals, referring to AB 112.
Up next: The Madera County Board of Supervisors will meet again on May 16.