Leadership at Madera’s only hospital, Madera Community Hospital, informed their employees Friday morning that the hospital will file for chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 3, YourCentralValley.com reported. At that time they will close the emergency room, OB and outpatient services, and will stop all surgeries. Its rural health clinics will close on Jan. 10, and the remaining hospital services will shut down on Jan. 17. All patients will be transferred to other health care facilities by that point, and all employees will be laid off if the hospital does indeed close. If that does happen, it could provide a devastating effect, as the hospital serves a population of about 150,000 people, many of which live in rural communities. That means those people would likely have to turn to Fresno or Merced if faced with an emergency situation. The news came after Trinity Health, on behalf of Saint Agnes Medical Center, backed out of the deal that would make Madera Community Hospital an affiliate. In a statement, the provider said they could not meet the conditions imposed by the California District Attorney, who must approve such deals, to do so. The hospital Friday released a statement, which said hospital leadership has tried to reach out to possible partners and legislators with little success. New California State Assembly member for the 27th District, Esmeralda Soria, said she is continuing to try and work with other elected officials to find any resources available to the hospital.
