SACRAMENTO — Adventist Health could soon be allowed to set up an emergency room in Paradise.
A bill carving out an exception from the state rule forbidding free-standing emergency rooms for Feather River Hospital is expected to come to a final vote in the state legislature soon.
The project is significant because it would bring important medical services back to a vulnerable elderly population and a large daytime population of workers on the Ridge.
The Camp Fire forced the 100-bed Feather River Hospital to close because of damage. The hospital, which was also the largest employer in Paradise, was the only acute care hospital serving the communities of Paradise, Stirling City, Lovelock, De Sabla and Magalia. Many of those residents have coverage under the federal Medicare Program or the Medicaid program and limited access to transportation.
The Feather River Health Center on the Skyway has reopened, but it’s a medical clinic with limited services. It has had to send people with emergencies to Enloe Medical Center in Chico.
It’s unclear if enough people will return to Paradise to justify the reopening of the entire hospital.
Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Tehama, introduced the bill in January. Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, is also a co-author. The bill passed the Senate in May and passed through its final Assembly committee this week, though some of the details are still being hashed out with regulatory agencies.
“That ER has got to be certified and inspected and meet all the requirements and we’re making special accommodations for the standalone ER, but this can happen quickly,” said Nielsen in an interview on Monday.
Specifically, the bill would allow another hospital, Adventist Health and Rideout — the medical center in Marysville — to apply to operate the Feather River emergency services facility under its license. The special permit would last from two to six years.
Nielsen suggested the emergency room could be in place a few months after the permit was issued.
Effects on local hospitals
Following the closure of Feather River Hospital, other community hospitals have seen an uptick in patients.
The existence of an emergency room in Paradise would not likely affect the “sole provider” designation, said Joe Page, the marketing manager at Enloe.
