Fresno County declares state of emergency as hospital closure adds to overwhelmed services

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declared a state of emergency as area hospitals contend with bed capacities as they balance a surge in cases of the flu, COVID and RSV with an overflow of patients from the just-closed Madera Community Hospital.

Local emergency services are currently operating under an “assess and refer” policy, which diverts non-emergency patients away from hospitals to other sources of care such as personal physicians, urgent care centers or telehealth services.

The resolution, which came under a unanimous vote spotlights “the need for assistance from the state and federal government,” the county said in a statement Tuesday.

The vote comes on the same day that Madera Community Hospital officially closes its doors and less than a week after Sheriff Tyson J. Pogue declared a similar state of emergency in Madera County.