Council Connect Articles

When Good Policy Meets Hospital Reality: What We’re Learning From AB 2975

“The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” – Thomas Edison 

Every year, state lawmakers spend months crafting legislation with the lofty goal of improving life for Californians. When their work is done, hospitals have the task of transforming those ideas into actionable solutions, all while ensuring access to the lifesaving care millions of Californians rely on every day.  

Leadership Beyond the Hospital Walls

Read only the headlines, and health care looks like a story about scarcity. Margins are thinner. Workforce pipelines are strained. Regulatory demands keep expanding. Patients arrive with needs more complex than any single institution was designed to meet. And in a lot of boardrooms, the hard questions about 2027 are arriving faster than the answers. 

EMSA Pauses Audit Tool Compliance Activities Through August

The Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMSA) is pausing some activities associated with Assembly Bill 40 compliance and the ambulance patient offload time (APOT) Audit Tool. All APOT audits, compliance evaluations, and biweekly calls with participating facilities exceeding their APOT standard will be paused through August 2026. 

Section Updates for August 12, 2026

Central Valley: In the latest meeting of member hospitals’ community benefits leads, Hospital Council continued to coordinate the development of an investment plan to address hunger and food insecurity across Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare counties. With structure and metrics for the group’s shared priorities taking shape, the group is aiming to finalize its plan...

New Business Partner Brings Emotional Well-Being Solutions, EAP Support to Hospitals

Concern, a new Hospital Council strategic business partner, delivers clinically led mental health and employee well-being solutions built within the health care ecosystem. Concern’s professionals are experienced in hospital culture and bring firsthand insight into the pressures facing nurses, physicians, and care teams. This perspective informs their services, which include an access center, counseling, immediate...

As OBBBA Impacts Loom, Hospitals Work Together

Just over a year ago, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), ushering in monumental changes for California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. Nearly 400 days since the legislation was signed into law, its impact on hospitals and the communities they serve is only beginning to take shape — and Hospital Council is mobilizing to meet the moment. 

Deadline Approaching for Key AI, OHCA Advocacy Asks 

The California Hospital Association has issued two member alerts, both of which have a July 31 deadline:   The first alert asks members to contact their senators and urge opposition to Assembly Bill 2575 (Ortega, D-Hayward), which would protect health care workers from corrective action or discipline when they override an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, even if the decision results in patient harm or...