Outlines of the Madera Community Hospital sign being covered by a tarp at the Emergency Room entrance of the hospital on Jan. 2, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

National newsmagazine radio program 1A, heard daily on Fresno’s NPR station KVPR 89.3 FM, is coming to the Valley to discuss the closure of Madera Community Hospital.

The taping is part of 1A Remaking America, a collaborative project supported by a $750,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to WAMU, Washington, D.C.’s NPR station that produces and distributes 1A.

 

Host Jenn White and the KVPR team will host a live conversation about what it means for a community to become a health care desert. More than 130 rural hospitals have closed around the country since 2010, with Madera Community Hospital joining that list last month.

The free event will be held at Fresno City College’s Old Administration Building Auditorium on Thursday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m. The event is free. To register, visit the kvpr.org website.

Last year, KVPR was selected as one of five other public media stations to partner with WAMU to source stories, conduct live broadcasts and events and produce collaborative content.