Adventist Health Feather River

Adventist Health Feather River, also known as Feather River Hospital, is a 101-bed acute care hospital located in the town of Paradise, in Butte County, California, with a wide array of outpatient departments and services designed to meet the health care needs of Paradise, Magalia, and neighboring communities. It was severely damaged in the November 2018 Camp Fire and is currently closed.

Adventist Health Feather River
Adventist Health
Geography
LocationParadise, Butte County, California, United States
Coordinates39°45′24.95″N 121°34′17.05″W
Organization
Care systemPrivate, Medicare, Medicaid
FundingNon-profit hospital
TypeCommunity
Services
Emergency departmentBasic, Physician On Duty
Beds101
Links
Websiteadventisthealth.org/feather-river/
ListsHospitals in California
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History

In 1946, Dr. Merritt C. Horning envisioned building a “total health center” in Paradise, California. Dr. Horning shared this vision with three of his colleagues: Dr. Dean Hoiland, Dr. C.C. Landis and Dr. Glenn Blackwelder. These men, along with other community leaders, purchased 35 acres (14 ha) from Paradise Irrigation District for the price of back taxes – $3,500. Within the next few years, additional acreage was acquired throughout several purchases, eventually totaling 182 acres (74 ha). Labor and building materials were largely acquired through donations and volunteers.[1]

Construction was scheduled to begin in April 1948, however, at the time funding was not available to build surgical and obstetrical units. When applying to the State of California for an operating license, the hospital board learned that the hospital did not qualify for a license unless it had a surgical unit. Dr. Horning contacted a friend, the state director of public health, and soon a new hospital classification was created to accommodate the project. Within days, Feather River received a license to operate as an acute medical facility containing 18 beds and officially opened in 1950.[1]

Feather River has experienced three “firsts” in their geographical region. It was the only hospital in the area to train nurse assistants; they pioneered the teen volunteer program of candystripers and handystripers, and the facility was the first public building in Butte County to prohibit smoking.[1]

In 1952, a surgery unit was added and by the end of the decade, a new wing also had been completed. More space was soon needed, so in 1964 a new food service department and a physician's office building was added. Four years later, in 1968, the construction of a new 150-bed hospital was completed. This facility is located uphill from the original building which now houses the hospital's Health Center.[1]

The hospital founders and trustees desired to ensure the facility's long-term mission as an Adventist health care center and so in 1960 they entrusted the hospital to the Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. On January 8, 1973, Feather River joined Adventist Health and became Adventist Health/Feather River Hospital.[1] Feather River Hospital first closed in 2008, because of the Humboldt Fire.[2] In 2017, the name was changed to Adventist Health Feather River.[1]

On November 8, 2018, Adventist Health Feather River was partially destroyed by the Camp Fire.[3][4] This fast moving wildfire propelled by high winds leveled a large portion of Paradise. This fire was the most destructive in California history.[5]

2018 Camp Fire

Adventist Health Feather River was forced to evacuate after the fire jumped a road going to the hospital. Some people were trapped under Adventist Health Feather River in a tunnel until they could escape.[6] Employees at Adventist Health Feather River evacuated 60 patients the morning of November 8, 2018.[7] The patients were transported in ambulances, by helicopter and employee vehicles[2][8] to Oroville Hospital, Enloe Medical Center, in Chico and Orchard Hospital, in Gridley that very day.[2][9]

2018 aftermath

Surrounding hospitals stepped up to take care of the patients that would normally be going to Adventist Health Feather River the largest business in Paradise, which will not reopen until 2020, forcing 1,300 employees to be laid off and work at other hospitals and clinics in the area. And some employees have left the state to find work.[2][10][11] The buildings that survived the fire were the hospital, the cancer center, the emergency department, the maternity ward, the outpatient surgery center and one clinic. The buildings that were destroyed were offices, clinics, cardiology building, radiology building and maintenance building.[3][4][12]

Recovery

In October 2019, people gathered togethered at Adventist Health Feather River after Senate Bill 156 was approved by the state legislature. This allows the emergency room to operate without a hospital-the first in the history of the state of California.[13][14]

Services

The services of Adventist Health Feather River are: Behavioral medicine, treatment of cancer, cardiology, critical care medicine, diagnostic laboratory, emergency department, GI laboratory, home health, hospice, outpatient medical offices, home oxygen, medical imaging, obstetrics, rural health center, sleep medicine, surgery, and women's health.[15]

In 1999, Feather River became the first hospital in Northern California to house an Endoscopy Suite complete with voice activated, hands free surgical equipment. It is one of only four hospitals in the region with an anticoagulation clinic, and funds a wide range of preventive treatment programs.

Awards

In 2018 Adventist Health Feather River won the Women's Choice Award[16] and has also won four awards from Healthgrades.[17]

See also

References
  1. History
  2. Tuchinsky, Evan (2018-11-22). "Uncertain prognosis Hospitals fill void of Feather River's closure for uncertain duration". newsreview.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  3. Schultz, Jim; Shulman, Alayna (2018-11-09). "Camp Fire: What is and isn't still standing in the Paradise Area". Redding Record Searchlight. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  4. "The Last: Hospital in Paradise Plans to Reopen". U.S. News. 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  5. Alexander, Kurtis; Ravani, Sarah; Allday, Erin (November 9, 2018). "Camp Fire is most destructive wildfire in California history: 9 dead, 6,713 structures incinerated". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  6. Alexander, Kurtis; Johnson, Lizzie; Wu, Gwendolyn; Aliday, Erin (2018-11-09). "Camp Fire devastates Paradise near Chico-businesses, church, numerous homes burn". mySA. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  7. "Up to 1,000 homes burn, multiple deaths in Butte County from Camp Fire". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  8. Thompson, Don; Berger, Noah (2018-11-09). "Wildfire destroys most of California town of Paradise". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  9. Thompson, Don (2018-11-08). "Tens of thousands flee-moving Northern California fire". The Columbian. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  10. Ho, Catherine (2018-12-11). "In Camp Fire's aftermath, uncertainty for shuttered hospital's scattered workers". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  11. Urseny, Laura (2019-02-13). "Adventist Health finalizes layoffs at Feather River Hospital". Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  12. Lillis, Ryan; Sabalow, Ryan; Mcgough, Mike (2018-11-08). "'The whole town's on fire': Butte wildfire grows to 20,000 acres as residents flee on foot". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  13. Von Kaenel, Camille (2019-08-20). "Legislation to create emergency room in Paradise near approval". Lake County Record-Bee. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  14. Epley, Robin (2019-10-18). "'Symbolic because this is a place of healing': Feather River OK to re-open as standalone emergency room". Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  15. "Adventist Health Feather River". PracticeLink 25. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  16. "Adventist Health Feather River wins stroke center award". Paradise Post. 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  17. "Adventist Health Feather River". healthgrades. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
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