CEO Messages

After Years of Meeting Virtually, a Chance to Gather In-Person

Earlier this week, the Hospital Council Board of Trustees held its first in-person meeting since January 2020. While the board continued to meet regularly yet virtually throughout the pandemic, it was great to have both our current board members and our new incoming board members in-person for this occasion.

CHPAC Vital to Our Success

At all levels of government — local, state, and federal — decisions are made that will dramatically impact how hospitals deliver first-in-class care. For this reason, it’s vital to help elect candidates who share hospital values.  

Shining the Spotlight on Health Equity

While COVID-19 may have brought to light many health care inequities, they are nothing new. Disparate health outcomes for minorities, individuals experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ+, and other segments of California’s population have been documented for decades and reflect longstanding structural and systemic inequities that are rooted in racism and discrimination. Today, the disparities have risen to the level of a public health crisis in California, and your hospitals are on the front lines of addressing these inequities.

Recent Heatwave May Have Subsided but Work on Energy-Related Issues Continues  

From fires and floods to earthquakes — and now record-setting high temperatures — your hospitals have seen it all. The recent heatwave posed unique challenges to the state’s energy grid, and although hospitals were specifically exempted from any potential rotating outages, Hospital Council truly thanks you for conserving power when possible while ensuring patient safety was never compromised.  

Workforce Challenges Need to Be a Top Priority for Our State and Federal Officials

I’m excited that thousands of athletes ages 7 to 18 — my cousin’s daughter included — are gathering this week in Sacramento for the 2022 USA Track & Field (USATF) National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships. USATF’s mission is to “drive competitive excellence and popular engagement … in a safe environment for all.” This mission statement reminded me in a really inspirational way of the work hospitals have always done in their communities, and the particular challenges they face today.

Hospital Council Board Keeps Important Issues in Front

The Hospital Council Board of Directors met last week and discussed the significant legislative and regulatory challenges that remain for hospitals as the state budget has been passed and the legislative year heads into its final stages. In addition to reviewing the state budget, the board discussed strategy on the 2030 seismic standards, the newly created Office of Health Care Affordability, and the potential impact of health care minimum wage campaigns taking place in southern California. 

Addressing Violence in Our Hospitals

Recent horrific mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y., have the country discussing and searching its soul once again about what can be done about gun violence. Even more concerning for our hospitals are the attacks at Tulsa’s St. Francis Hospital, where the shooter killed four people and then himself, and the stabbing of a doctor and two nurses at Southern California’s Encino Hospital. These incidents highlighted the vulnerability of our hospitals and health care facilities.