Earlier this week, the Hospital Council and CHA teams had the opportunity to connect with a number of members during a legislative event on the state Capitol grounds. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend — it was a rare opportunity to get members and legislators under one roof (in this case a tent) for a chance to discuss the challenges facing hospitals and hear from California’s senators and Assembly members. It’s been a long time since many of us have gathered together for an in-person event, and it couldn’t come at a more important time.
During this National Hospital Week we wanted to take the time to shine the spotlight on your hospitals and health systems, and all you have done and will continue to do to care for your communities. And for many of you, who are still trying to dig out from the financial devastation wrought by COVID-19, these conversations are crucial. Though each of your concerns is slightly different, and unique to your specific hospital, there were common themes we heard from the entire hospital field, such as:
- The need for updated disaster and seismic standards
- The continued workforce challenges at all levels of care
- Ambulance patient offload time reform at the local, regional, and state level
- Medi-Cal reform, including increased reimbursement rates to ensure our most vulnerable populations have access to the care they need when they need it
- Celebrating the collective work of our hospitals throughout the state in providing care, testing, and vaccines to all Californians for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic
Whether it’s at the Capitol or at a Board of Supervisors meeting, our work is ongoing to make sure your hospitals’ concerns are heard and you can continue your lifesaving work of caring for your communities. Our legislators appreciated seeing and hearing directly from our member hospitals. We are both honored and privileged to be able to support your hospitals in these efforts and will continue our advocacy at all levels of government.