Paradise hospital workers get last paychecks after Camp Fire wiped out over 1,200 jobs
Adventist Health issued the final paychecks earlier this month to health workers whose positions were eliminated indefinitely after the Camp Fire severely damaged Paradise’s Feather River Hospital.
Roseville-based Adventist said in its most recent update on its designated Camp Fire press update page that pay and benefits remained intact until Feb. 5 for those whose work assignments were “interrupted” when the fire destroyed parts of the hospital on Pentz Road.
“We now believe that it would be significantly more than a year before services could be reopened,” Adventist said in the update.
Adventist is working to relocate associates to its other facilities, including the Feather River Health Center, located in Paradise on Skyway. The health center reopened to patients Dec. 20.
Adventist has relocated 407 of approximately 1,205 employees so far, according to a Feb. 8 update by the company.
Adventist has hosted multiple job fairs in Butte County to assist associates unable to relocate. The health employer also created a fire assistance fund, which had collected more than $7.2 million in donations as of Feb. 8.
The deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, the Camp Fire ravaged the town of Paradise starting Nov. 8. The blaze killed 85 people and destroyed more than 18,000 structures.
“As we have reported previously, some buildings on the medical center campus were spared from the worst of the damage,” Adventist’s Feb. 8 update statement begins. “However, the unfortunate fact is that the infrastructure, access, clean up, and population needed to support an acute care campus are far from recovered.”
Adventist has redirected Camp Fire-related media inquiries to Orange County public relations firm Beyond Fifteen. A representative with Beyond Fifteen did not immediately respond to The Bee’s request for comment.
This story was originally published February 15, 2019 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Paradise hospital workers get last paychecks after Camp Fire wiped out over 1,200 jobs."
