KQED talks to Press Democrat reporter Marisa Endicott about Adventist Health closing Paradise’s only hospital

On Friday morning, Press Democrat reporter Marisa Endicott appeared on KQED radio’s California Report to discuss the closure of Feather River Hospital in Paradise.

Endicott spoke with California Report co-host Madi Bolaños about Adventist Health’s decision to close Paradise’s only hospital and largest employer, despite recovering millions in insurance money for the damages from the 2018 Camp Fire.

Earlier this month, Endicott and Press Democrat reporter Andrew Graham covered the ordeal in an article published online March 2.

In speaking to Bolaños, Endicott stressed the importance of the hospital to the town of Paradise and surrounding unincorporated areas still rebuilding from the Camp Fire both for critical health care and as the town’s largest employer.

Endicott also laid out Adventist Health’s position on closing the hospital due to declining population in town post-fire, how local leaders and residents are reacting to the news that the hospital will not be rebuilt, and how Adventist’s decisions in Paradise are reverberating across the state.

“Basically ... the hospital is lumped in with the 70,000 individuals seeking compensation (from the Fire Victim Trust) and their tactics, according to the trustees and lawyers, have slowed down the already slow process of compensating victims.”

Listen to the full interview at bit.ly/3T61lFz.