Besides greatly shrinking Madera’s health care access, the sudden end of the hospital - which has been around since 1971 and had a staff of more than 700 people - has also stripped its employees of an income and health insurance. It’s about lives - their own, their families, their patients - and a fatal blow dealt to a largely low-income and underserved community, where cancer and heart disease are the top two causes of death. They all insisted that losing a critical piece of Madera’s health infrastructure is much more than the end of an institution, its bankruptcy or about whom to blame for the collapse. Credit: Tammie Myersįresnoland interviewed more than a dozen community members about the drastic impacts of Madera Community Hospital’s closure - including patients, nurses, physicians and housekeepers. ![]() Tammie Myers worked as a licensed vocational nurse in the maternity ward at the Madera Community Hospital. “I can’t go to CRMC ( Community Regional Medical Center) and work in their emergency department,” Myers said. Now, she has no income and no health insurance, and is unsure of her next steps after a nursing career that spanned 40 years. She’s within a couple years of retiring and she even set the date - the end of July 2025. She loved the mothers she worked with, mostly Hispanic, whom she described as “very appreciative” of whatever help she gave.īut with the recent closure of the Madera Community Hospital, Myers, who is 64, is newly out of a job. Her job was to take care of new mothers and their babies, following birth. Seeking emergency or urgent care in Madera County? Read our guide to finding care after the hospitals’ closure.įor the past 15 years, Tammie Myers worked as a licensed vocational nurse in Madera Community Hospital’s postpartum department. The closure of Madera Community Hospital has pulled the rug out from underneath more than 700 employees and dealt a critical blow to health care access for Madera County’s 150,000 residents. Fresno Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. ![]()
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