Truly local health care

About eight months ago, the communities of Gridley and Biggs launched a campaign to save their local hospital, Biggs-Gridley Memorial. Their goal: to raise $250,000 and regain control of the facility from Fremont-Rideout Health Group, which planned to shut the place.

That goal was met—and surpassed, reaching $500,000—and, after a lengthy review by the California Attorney General’s Office, Fremont-Rideout has been given the green light to turn over the reins to a community board of directors.

“It is no longer economically sustainable for us to run Biggs-Gridley as an in-patient facility within our system, and we are pleased to give this historic hospital over to local control so they can preserve, run and manage the hospital in the future,” Fremont-Rideout CEO Terri Hamilton said in a news release.

Fremont-Rideout took over the hospital in 2001, when the facility was in dire need of a seismic retrofit. The organization has agreed to forgive the $10 million it poured into the hospital, as keeping the doors open is “consistent with our charitable purposes,” said board Chairman Jim Kennedy.