UCSF Health, Adventist Health and Madera County Officials Announce Proposal to Reopen Madera Community Hospital

MADERA, CA – UCSF Health, Adventist Health and Madera County leaders announced today their intent to jointly reopen and operate Madera Community Hospital. In an innovative partnership model, the three entities would come together to create a high-quality community hospital focused on keeping care local in Madera County.

UCSF Health would provide clinical oversight of the hospital, along with quality and safety programs that align with the system’s nationally ranked care standards. Adventist Health would leverage its expertise in hospital operations, operational efficiency, and superior patient experience to give residents of the community a hospital that they can rely on. Partnering with Madera County to align with the health care needs of the community, both organizations are committed to restoring life-saving critical care services in Madera County and building a safe, sustainable and high-quality care infrastructure that the region can rely on for decades to come.

We’re committed to building a clinically credible and financially sustainable system of care that ensures citizens of the Central Valley are the ones caring for their community.”

“We are excited and honored by the opportunity to re-open Madera Community Hospital and restore health care services to the region. We’re committed to building a clinically credible and financially sustainable system of care that ensures citizens of the Central Valley are the ones caring for their community,” said Suresh Gunasekaran, president and chief executive officer of UCSF Health. “UCSF Health and Adventist Health are united by our vision to keep care local and bring the resources of our organizations to this community in a way it can not only trust but depend on.”

“The Madera community deserves sustainable access to quality care,” said Kerry L. Heinrich, President and CEO of Adventist Health. “I want to commend our counterparts at UCSF and what we can do together. Last October, Adventist Health looked at the circumstances and realized we couldn’t do it on our own. I have been so uplifted by our conversations with UCSF, to put together something remarkable to reestablish faith in this community. As California's largest provider of rural health care with deep metropolitan experience, we look forward to a partnership that creates a much-needed safety net in Madera County.”

This innovative partnership model brings together the strongest components of an academic medical center with a community health system committed to serving the underserved to change the health care dynamic of the central valley. Building on the University of California, San Francisco’s commitment to the Central Valley and UCSF Health’s clinical excellence, the health system will work closely with the community to determine the services the hospital will provide and how to structure them. Both organizations are committed to prioritizing patient outcomes and empowering providers, and UCSF Health will approve all clinical policies.

“For nearly two years, I’ve been working with local, state, and federal partners to maintain access to the full services provided at Madera Community Hospital and keep it open as a primary health care facility,” said U.S. Representative Jim Costa, D-CA. “This partnership between Madera County, UCSF, and Adventist Health will go a long way to ensure Valley residents have access to affordable, quality health care.

“This new partnership would provide Madera residents with much-needed quality health care services, while increasing opportunity for local doctors,” Costa continued. “We must do all we can to stabilize our regional hospitals. I remain committed to working together to successfully reopen the hospital.”

“This is an exciting new development. This partnership among UCSF Health, Adventist Health, and Madera County is an ideal opportunity for Madera County families and residents. The opportunity to reopen Madera Community Hospital will expand access to health care, build a strong workforce and position Madera County to become a model for health care standards in California and the nation,” said State Senator Anna Caballero, D-Madera. “This partnership will bring prestige and stability that will help rebuild community trust and restore faith in the quality of care that our residents deserve. I appreciate the partnership among Madera County, UCSF Health, and Adventist and thank them for their commitment to families in the Valley.”

“The entire Board of Supervisors is very excited about this opportunity to partner with UCSF Health to bring high quality medical care and educational opportunities to Madera County and the surrounding Central Valley region,” stated Madera County Administrative Officer Jay Varney. “The Board believes this partnership will create significant and lasting benefits for our community members.”

Legislative support for the state’s Distressed Hospital Loan Program and the critical funds it provides were key catalysts in bringing the three organizations together. UCSF Health and Adventist Health had separately explored ways to help secure MCH’s viability but neither organization independently saw a feasible path forward to creating a financially sustainable operating strategy for the hospital.

“The proposed partnership among Madera County, UCSF Health, and Adventist Health to acquire and re-open Madera Community Hospital represents a unique opportunity to deliver high-quality patient care to our community,” said State Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno. “I am excited about this collaboration and believe it promotes our shared goal of investing in health equity for our rural communities. I fully support the partnership and the potential for it to reduce health disparities, promote diversity in future generations of health care workers and more closely connect UC’s public service mission to areas most underrepresented across the state.”

The organizations will jointly submit a proposal to the bankruptcy court currently considering the disposition of the hospital. If the proposal is approved, the organizations would begin the work of developing a thoughtful, community-informed path to reopening critical health care services in the Madera community.

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Brandy Nikaido: [email protected]