Council Connect Articles

Hospitals Host New Elected Officials

Who Assemblymember Catherine Stefani  South Bay Hospitals, specifically Seton Hospital What As we enter the new year, we have experienced turnover not only in hospital leadership, but also in county and state government. Over the next few months, hospital leaders throughout the South Bay will focus on meeting several new county supervisors and elected officials.   […]

Central Valley’s Regional Approach to Community Health Needs Reduces Cost, Burden

Who Hospitals and public health departments in Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings counties What Hospital Council is coordinating a joint Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) report for Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings counties.   This is the second time Hospital Council has connected hospitals and local public health departments for this work that aims to improve […]

Eureka Police Department Leads the Way in Decriminalizing Mental Illness

Who Commander Leonard LaFrance and the Eureka Police Department What Through innovative de-escalation techniques and structural changes in its approach to crisis intervention, the Eureka Police Department (EPD) is transforming how law enforcement handles mental illness and substance abuse crises, effectively reducing 5150 (involuntary psychiatric) holds by 68% since 2018 and diverting nearly 93% of […]

A New Year, Same Commitment to Health Care

As Hospital Council looks to the year ahead, our commitment to ensuring all Californians have access to reliable, quality health care remains the same. Our previous message focused on adapting to change, and while we cannot fully predict everything that will happen in the future, preparing for the new year is a good way to start.  

San Francisco Eyes Potential Expansion of Behavioral Health Beds

Who UCSF Health   San Francisco Department of Public Health What The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is set to approve a resolution authorizing the San Francisco Department of Public Health to submit applications for grant funds to the state’s Department of Health Care Services under the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program Round 1: Launch Ready.   […]

Sacramento Hospitals Reduce APOT, Push for Further Reduction

Who Sacramento area hospitals, fire departments, and private emergency medical services providers  Sacramento County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SCEMSA) What Hospitals have worked diligently, innovatively, and collaboratively to improve ambulance patient offload times (APOT) in 2024. With a state-highest collective APOT of 73 minutes in December 2023, area hospitals achieved a remarkable 29 minutes in […]

Northern Sierra Maintains Focus on Ambulance Access

Who Northern Sierra section hospitals and health care providers  Nor-Cal Emergency Medical Services Agency (Nor-Cal EMS)  Partnership HealthPlan of California What Nor-CAL Rural Ambulance Coalition meetings to explore opportunities to retain (and in some cases restore) ambulance services to rural northern Sierra communities continue. At these meetings, the energy is positive and coalition stakeholders — […]

Adapting to Change

As we head into a new year, we want to take a moment to reflect on everything our hospital members have accomplished this past year. 2024 has shown us the importance of adapting to change, and one major unplanned challenge was an unprecedented fire season in the Hospital Council service area: Wildfires saw a nearly 240% increase from last year to this year (308,761 to 1,049,398 acres), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).  

Complementary Tool Allows Hospitals to Self-Assess PSSM Compliance

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently unveiled a new Patient Safety Structural Measure (PSSM), asking hospitals to attest to the use of 25 practices that support a culture of safety. Mandatory reporting starts with calendar year 2025, and a new, complementary tool can help hospitals with compliance.