1A Remaking America: What Happens To A Community When A Hospital Closes? - a podcast by NPR

Madera Community Hospital closed in December and has now filed for bankruptcy. The emergency room now sits empty, and labor and delivery services have stopped. The hospital's three rural clinics are also closed.

Some 136 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2021, according to the American Hospital Association. According to a January report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, about 600 hospitals are currently at risk of closing in the U.S.

We traveled to Fresno as part of our Remaking America collaboration with six partner stations across the country, including KVPR in California's Central Valley. Earlier this month, we brought the community together to talk about the hospital closure, which has left more than 150,000 residents without an emergency room within 30 miles and has put a strain on emergency room departments in Fresno and Merced.

This conversation is part of our Remaking America collaboration with six public radio stations, including KVPR in Fresno, California. Remaking America is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Further episodes of 1A

Further podcasts by NPR

Website of NPR