FAQ
Q: Why is Adventist Health not reopening the hospital?
A: As part of the Camp Fire in 2018, the hospital experienced considerable structural and physical damage, rendering it inoperable and ultimately leading to its closure in November 2018. The post-pandemic world has also accelerated our strategic timelines for identifying alternative, modern modes of healthcare delivery that offer quality and exceptional care for our patients that take place outside of a traditional hospital setting.
Q: Is Adventist Health going to rebuild Feather River Hospital?
A: Adventist Health is steadfast in its commitment to providing care that aligns with the needs of Paradise, the Ridge and future care delivery for rural communities.
At this time, the area lacks an adequate population, a varied mix of payors, medical providers, and medical necessities to sustain the establishment of a new, fully operational hospital.
And, as the community, and world, has changed dramatically since COVID-19, so too has our approach to care delivery, which ultimately has led to our decision not to rebuild the hospital.
Our plan will evolve over time to adapt to the needs of our community and stay on pace with the rapidly changing world of healthcare. This is a strategy for the future that includes accessible, sustainable, and dependable healthcare for this community. One that provides the services that people can depend on while also securing stable, competitive careers for the healthcare workers in this area. We have worked tirelessly to reestablish different services across our two clinics in Paradise. These include:
- Addiction Services
- Behavioral Health
- Dental
- Dermatology
- Imaging
- Lab draw stations
- Pediatric and Primary Care
- Rapid Care
- Specialty Care
- Women’s Health
Adventist Health is also currently investing $2.4M to renovate the Feather River Health Center on Skyway. This initiative will create a larger, dedicated Rapid Care Clinic area, remodel the Primary Care Clinic to increase patient access and provider capacity and re-establish Women’s Imaging to include mammography and bone density tests.
New Rapid Care Unit — Adventist Health will convert the former pharmacy area on the main floor to create a new 2,100-square-foot Rapid Care Unit with eight exam rooms and a dedicated space for associates and providers. Our Rapid Care Clinic is designed to treat a wide range of medical conditions that require attention quickly, usually within 24 hours, but are not life-threatening emergencies.
New Primary Care Clinic — Adventist Health will redesign the medical records office on the lower level to create a new, dedicated 2,300-square-foot Primary Care Clinic with seven exam rooms and a waiting area.
New Women’s Imaging Services — These services will provide mammograms and bone density tests and will be added adjacent to the Rapid Care Clinic to serve the Women’s Health Clinic. The Feather River Health Center on Skyway will continue to see patients during construction.
Additionally, as we assess Feather River Hospital and its surrounding facilities, we will begin demolition of portions of structures that have no pathway for further use to lay the foundation for future plans. And, importantly, we will consistently communicate our actions and plans to residents of this community every step of the way.
As part of charting our future serving the community, Adventist Health leaders have developed a Healthcare on the Ridge Steering Committee, partnering with community members and representatives from local elected officials’ teams to determine how best to serve the continuing needs of the region, which has changed significantly over the past few years. We continue to value the input and guidance of local leaders and have incorporated it into our strategy.
Q: If not a hospital, what steps is Adventist Health taking to ensure we continue to have access to important, life-saving healthcare?
A: Adventist Health is committed to growing the level of services that are and will be offered to the Paradise and Ridge communities as the community grows. Patients can continue to access services at our Feather River Health Center located at 5125 Skyway, along with our clinic at 6283 Clark Rd. Healthcare delivery continues to evolve and as this community grows, we will ensure our services evolve and grow with it.
Q: Why did Adventist Health take so long to make the decision to not reopen the hospital?
A: Since the Camp Fire in 2018, communities and healthcare providers nationwide, like in Paradise, have been tested with responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic response was our focus during that time. Now that the world has emerged from that challenge, we are looking at new, more modern, and sustainable healthcare delivery models. We remain committed to providing care that aligns with the community’s needs and future care delivery for rural communities. Our approach to care delivery prior to the fire had changed and was further realigned following COVID-19. This ultimately led to our decision not to rebuild the hospital.
Q: What has Adventist Health done in the community since the Camp Fire?
A: We have been and continue to be committed to this community. In the immediate wake of the fires, we offered a 90-day, more than $30M salary and benefit continuation program for our employees, as well as raised more than $7M through our matching challenge and contributions from our extended family of associates, partners, vendors, and friends across the country.
We also raised an additional $3M of new resources for the county's wider recovery efforts, including individual and community health needs such as restoration and re-establishment of vital services, including our two medical clinics in Paradise. Since 2021, the Inspire Hope project has brought in more than 175 truckloads of furniture, household goods and appliances, and other needed supplies distributed throughout the Ridge by various programs partnered with Adventist Health and the Feather River Health Foundation. The value of these items exceeds $8.7M in wholesale numbers.
Additionally, we are investing in the growth of services and recruitment of providers, and we will continue to do so into the future.