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COALINGA, Calif. (KFSN) -- More than a twelvemonth aft closing, Madera Community Hospital could beryllium wrong months of reopening nether caller ownership and management.
Two weeks ago, American Advanced Management (AAM) was approved successful the Federal Bankruptcy Court to determination guardant with its program to acquisition the hospital.
Many authorities and region leaders opposed the approval, hoping the justice would assistance much clip to see a caller associated bid by Adventist Health and UCSF. They argued that UCSF and Adventist's reputations would marque it easier to enlistee unit and could crook Madera Community into a teaching hospital.
AAM already owns and operates Coalinga Regional Medical Center.
First, let's instrumentality a look astatine what happened with Coalinga Regional Medical Center. In 2018, the infirmary unopen its doors leaving patients with 2 options for exigency attraction question much than 60 miles to Fresno oregon much than 40 to Hanford.
AAM made an archetypal connection to forestall the infirmary from shutting down, but that program was rejected by the California Department of Public Health.
In 2019, the Coalinga assemblage overwhelmingly voted yes successful a peculiar predetermination to let the infirmary territory to lease and perchance merchantability the infirmary opening the doorway for AAM to statesman doing attraction and repairs successful anticipation of leasing and operating the hospital.
In May 2020, AAM's program to instrumentality implicit the infirmary was approved successful bankruptcy tribunal a measurement that we saw with Madera Community Hospital 2 weeks ago.
By December 2020, Coalinga Regional Medical Center was backmost open, but determination were galore many steps successful between. Which we could spot adjacent successful the North Valley.
It's been much than a twelvemonth since Madera Community Hospital unopen its doors, leaving residents to thrust agelong distances for some aesculapian emergencies and regular healthcare.
Now efforts to reopen the infirmary could beryllium akin to those taken successful Coalinga respective years ago.
"There are aggregate steps that we spell through," said Amy Micheli, COO of American Advanced Management. "I mean, initially, earlier we adjacent get to the process of choosing to unfastened a hospital, we bash an valuation of the assemblage to spot what the needs of the assemblage are. We besides truly person to bash an valuation of wherefore that infirmary failed initially."
American Advanced Management Chief Operating Officer Amy Micheli said the archetypal 45 days aft support are spent applying for licenses and permits, past policies indispensable beryllium updated, unit members request to beryllium hired and trained, and equipment, supplies, and declaration services indispensable beryllium purchased.
Micheli is optimistic each of that could hap successful conscionable six months due to the fact that of steps the institution has already taken.
"We've started successful the policies and procedures up of time, we person been contracting with vendors up of time," said Micheli.
Micheli said determination are 5 radical connected unit successful Madera keeping the infirmary successful moving bid and unafraid until it tin reopen.
As for the aboriginal plans, California instrumentality requires hospitals to supply 8 services: medical, nursing, surgical, anesthesia, laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, and dietary services.
In Madera, determination volition beryllium a absorption connected cardiac services.
"When we've met with the cardiologists successful town, they person said, we would truly similar to beryllium capable to bash precocious cardiac procedures, specified arsenic cardiac catheterization, wherever we tin measure whether idiosyncratic has a humor clot successful their cardiac arteries, whether they request a stent to beryllium capable to unfastened that up," said Micheli.
Labor and transportation volition apt not re-open close away. However, Micheli said they bash anticipation to bring backmost the services someday.
AAM is inactive awaiting support from the California Department of Public Health for their absorption services statement and the Department of Health Care Access and Information for distressed infirmary indebtedness funds. The institution besides has different backing sources.
"Rather than person a large radical of investors that expect a instrumentality connected their investment, we are funded by a tiny radical who truly believes successful agrarian wellness care," said Micheli. "So we're allowed to instrumentality the wealth that we marque successful different hospitals and reinvest them into hospitals that are not anticipated to marque a profit."
AAM representatives said that a tiny radical of investors is their Board of Directors.
We besides reached retired to the squad astatine Coalinga's infirmary to get a amended consciousness of however the institution operates its facilities.
The aesculapian halfway depends connected question nurses and a staffing bureau for astir 50% of its staff.
The Director of Nursing said they are considered afloat staffed close present with 220 employees.
"We're licensed for 24 beds," said Allen Ackley, Director of Nursing. "Currently, I person capable unit that I consciousness comfy going up to 20."
Patients we spoke with successful Coalinga said they've been blessed with the hospital.
"I haven't seen immoderate signs of being understaffed," said John Albrecht, Coalinga Resident. "Yeah, we didn't hold precise long."
"Oh, good for maine I don't person immoderate problems determination -- erstwhile I person asthma and I can't breathe," said Victoria, Coalinga patient.
Action News besides spoke with the erstwhile president of the Coalinga Regional Medical Board of Directors, William Lewis. He said the reopening process seemed to commencement slowly, but past rapidly gained steam, and finished strong.
"After they opened it successful 2020 they were moving each the departments, and radical were precise blessed successful the assemblage that we had a infirmary again, and we had exigency and and and truthful forth," said Lewis.
Madera County's CAO released a connection successful effect that read: "With the tribunal granting AAM the quality to determination guardant with their plan, we judge that everyone's absorption should beryllium connected a palmy instrumentality of hospital-based wellness attraction to Madera.
AAM has stated that it is good prepared financially to execute this with assistance from the distressed infirmary indebtedness program, and without request for section funding. AAM has made arrangements to support County unit alert of their advancement successful the analyzable permitting and program support process, which has been appreciated by the County.
Should this effort not effect successful palmy solution to the bankruptcy, the County would surely beryllium funny successful bringing its connection backmost to the tribunal for afloat consideration."
UCSF directed Action News backmost to their connection released aft the determination was made successful bankruptcy court. It read: "We are profoundly disappointed to perceive that the bankruptcy tribunal has chosen a antithetic way to reopening Madera Community Hospital. UCSF Health and Adventist Health stay committed to our connection and are moving unneurotic to recognize what options whitethorn beryllium disposable to jointly prosecute our program to reconstruct lifesaving services to Madera County and bring high-quality, accessible attraction to the assemblage for decades to come."
Adventist Health declined to comment.
As for teaching infirmary opportunities, AAM said they person partnerships successful spot with different aesculapian schools and would beryllium unfastened to a concern with UCSF to marque Madera Community a teaching hospital.
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