Mad River cuts 27 jobs as home health program suspended

The board of Mad River Community Hospital voted to accept management’s recommendation to provide for the orderly suspension of home health services effective upon the completion of services to existing patients around April, the hospital announced this week in a news release.

Mad River Home Health Services will begin referring prospective patients to other health providers within Humboldt County.

“The decision to suspend providing home health services was a difficult one, and a decision neither I, our leadership team, nor our board took lightly” Doug Shaw, Mad River’s chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement. “Rural hospitals throughout California are financially struggling in the aftermath of the pandemic, and Mad River is no different. Costs are at an all-time high, while patient volumes have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels and reimbursement rates have failed to keep up with inflation over the last 10 years. Rural hospitals are struggling to survive in this climate, and many are at risk of closing or have closed, as was the case for Madera Community Hospital which closed its doors in December. Other rural hospitals are being forced to close important service lines, including Hazel Hawkins Hospital in Hollister which closed its home health agency in January.”

The move means 27 employees are out of a job, but the hospital “encouraged (them) to apply for vacant positions within the hospital or its outpatient departments upon completion of existing patient treatment plans,” the release stated.

The hospital said it will be offering presentations in the coming months on the plights of rural medicine and partnering with others to overcome the challenges rural hospitals are facing.

CR to hold family friendly drag show to help Lost Coast Pride

The College of the Redwoods Multicultural and Equity Center, in partnership with the CR Queer Student Union and Lost Coast Pride, will host a drag show on April 29 in the CR Theater on the main Eureka campus. The family friendly event will feature a pre-celebration with music, food and craft vendors, face painting, and informational tabling. Proceeds from the theater portion of the event will support Lost Coast Pride.

In the wake of the cancellation of the “Roaring ‘20s Drag Event” in January, CR’s QSU, which has been advocating for an event like this for many years, saw it as a perfect opportunity to partner with Lost Coast Pride to bring a similar event to campus.

“The QSU came to us with the idea, and we thought it was a great fit,” Irene Gonzalez-Herrera, interim assistant director of student equity, said in a prepared statement. “They had the performers, and we had a welcoming venue.”

CR’s administration supports the event and sees it as an opportunity to underscore CR’s commitment to supporting its LGBTQ+ students.

“In my mind, as a high-quality higher education institution that has an unwavering commitment to equity and inclusion, it’s the right thing to do,” CR president Keith Flamer said in the release.

All students, staff, and faculty from the CR community will be invited to participate. To ensure the event remains family friendly and cohesive, participants will be required to submit song and outfit choices to Lost Coast Pride for approval.

— The Times-Standard