MADERA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The ink is still drying after Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 112 Monday.

The bill provides struggling hospitals in the state access to $150,000 in interest-free loans.

The signing comes five months after Madera Community closed its doors leaving thousands without medical care.

Madera Mayor Santos Garcia says the legislation gives him hope.

“SB and AB 112 is a step in the right direction for our health care,” said Mayor Garcia.

State Senator Anna Caballero is one of the senators who fast-tracked the bill to the governor’s desk. She says she’s waiting for guidance from hospital administrators.

“What I’ve been asking for Madera to give to not only me but the administration is financial documents that indicate where they are at,” said Senator Caballero. “We haven’t heard much from the board of directors who are physically responsible for the hospital so it’s been pretty quiet it has me concerned.”

The Jaakar Sikh movement which serves the Punjabi Sikh communities polled 300 Madera residents and found that 95% were affected by the closure.

“We get a lot of different narratives from community members, and I think it was just so disheartening to see how they are struggling with this closure,” said Manreet Kaur, a community health worker with the Jaakara movement.

The Madera County Board of Supervisors voted to spend $100,000 to renew the hospital’s license which was set to expire on May 26.