PARADISE, Calif. – A $150,000 healthcare recovery plan faced backlash during the Paradise Town Council meeting on Tuesday night.
Consultants from the Abaris Group presented the third draft of their strategic healthcare recovery plan, but it was met with frustration and disappointment from both the town council and residents.
Members of the council highlighted inaccuracies in the plan, including a significant discrepancy in the number of children reported in the Paradise Unified School District. Consequently, the council voted unanimously to table the plan as they consider requesting another draft.
Paradise Mayor Steve Crowder shared with Action News Now his disappointment over the lack of actionable implementation steps in the current plan.
“There were actionable items that you know, zero to five years and that. There was that, but there was no direction of, you know, how we would implement them. And that’s, you know, that’s what we need is how do we begin the implementation process? And you know, because we aren’t healthcare experts. And that’s why we reached out. So basically, what we’re looking for is a playbook that will get us healthcare more healthcare up here,” Crowder said.
Crowder also expressed disappointment that the consultants did not deem a hospital in the town feasible yet. He hoped they could provide guidance on increasing ambulance and urgent care options.
Action News Now reached out to Bill Bullard, president of Abaris Group, but he referred our inquiries to Colette Curtis, the Paradise Recovery and Economic Development Director.
Curtis stated they are reviewing the report to address data concerns, noting only two items of concern. She plans to investigate why there is a disconnect, despite the data coming from valid sources.
According to Curtis, there is no timeline for the next draft of the plan, but she expects to provide an update at the November town council meeting.
A viewer inquired whether these efforts would impact people in Magalia, and Crowder responded that increased healthcare services in Paradise would benefit more than just the town.
He emphasized that additional facilities and services could relieve the burden on Enloe Health, one of the few hospitals still open in the area.
The plan’s cost is shared equally between the town’s general fund and the Adventist Health Feather River Foundation, a charitable organization separate from Adventist Health.
Crowder said the consultants have received part of the payment and will receive the remainder once the plan is accepted.
