New national reality TV show features Community
Healthcare Heroes, a new, nationally syndicated reality TV show, has chosen to film all of its episodes at Community Medical Centers, the largest health care network in central California.
The dramatic and educational show is already syndicated in more than 78% of TV markets nationally – including nine of the 10 largest markets in the United States – with the potential to reach nearly 90 million households. It airs on different stations and in different time slots in each market. In the Fresno area, the show hits the air at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27 on ABC 30. Each half-hour episode will feature Community’s physicians, staff and services.
The first show features an intense surgery by Dr. Don Myers to remove a brain tumor, and lifesaving measures by Dr. Stephen Elliott to care for a newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit at Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno.
“Each episode recounts the powerful and dramatic experiences of the heroes at Community who spend their days helping those in need,” said Healthcare Heroes executive producer Matthew Glasser, a two-time Emmy Award winner. “Our cameras follow the heart-pounding, minute-by-minute action of those tasked with saving other people’s lives.”
The 626-bed Community Regional is the largest hospital in the Community network and houses the only burn and Level 1 trauma centers between Los Angeles and Sacramento – a 15,000-square-mile service area that is roughly the size of Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey combined. Future episodes will also feature Clovis Community Medical Center and Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital.
“We intend to use Community Medical Centers as a microcosm for the nation’s health care system, as we believe the success stories taking place at Community have universal appeal,” Glasser said.
The reality show is being produced by Southern California-based InteReality Media. Glasser and fellow executive producer Marc Prescott were also co-creators of NurseTV, a nationally syndicated, weekly TV show that featured six Community nurses last season.
Community’s physicians and staff are no strangers to TV cameras. In April 2003, Community began producing its own weekly local TV show, MedWatch, which aired on NBC affiliate KSEE 24. Though MedWatch will no longer air in its past format, the show will continue to have a Web presence and be produced for newscasts and other venues.
This story was reported by Eddie Hughes. He can be reached at eddieh@communitymedical.org.