Section Update

APOT Time Discussions Continue in Sacramento Area

Who What At a public meeting on Feb. 8, the Sacramento County health officer committed the county to not pursuing financial penalties on hospitals for missing ambulance patient offload time (APOT) targets. This is to ensure a collaborative approach to APOT improvement.   The county hosted an APOT summit on Feb. 13 designed to unite hospital […]

Contra Costa Fire Protection District to Implement New APOT Policy in March  

Who What The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and its ambulance subcontractor, AMR, plan to implement a new ambulance patient offload time (APOT) policy in March. Under the new policy, ambulance personnel who have been waiting for 60 minutes to transfer patients in need of hospital emergency department (ED) services may “immediately mov[e] the […]

Orchestrating Health Care Accessibility in Rural California

Who What As member hospitals and Humboldt County progress toward the construction of a behavioral health crisis triage center (a plan developed with Hospital Council in 2022), 2024 is shaping up to be a year of community collaboratives. Sonoma County has announced a multi-county behavioral health collaborative day on May 30, Adventist Health’s Ukiah Valley Incubate […]

City of Berkeley Fair Workweek Ordinance Becomes Effective Jan. 12 

Who

Hospitals with health care facilities located in the city of Berkeley   

What

The city of Berkeley’s Fair Workweek Ordinance goes into effect on Jan. 12. Passed in 2022, the ordinance requires employers in Berkeley to adhere to certain scheduling and notification requirements for shifts, provide predictability pay to all employees, and offer work to existing employees first.  

Northern Sierra’s New Year Starts with Reflections on Behavioral Health Care  

Who

Behavioral health care, hospital, and county leadership from across California  

What

With its time for reflection and goal setting, CHA’s annual Behavioral Health Care Symposium on Dec. 12-13 was an ideal prelude to the new year. Representatives from 75 hospitals and 20 counties attended, including many from the Northern Sierra. It is clear from many presentations that the behavioral health landscape in California is entirely different than it was five years ago. There is a heightened sense of urgency among stakeholders, significant legislative action, and funding allocated by the state to address behavioral health care needs through counties and state projects. In the words of one speaker, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, “We have come very far and have very far to go.” 

East Bay Counties Delay Implementation of SB 43 To January 2026  

Who

Board of Supervisors in East Bay counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano)   

What

Senate Bill (SB) 43, which was signed into law in October, expands the definition of the term “gravely disabled” for the involuntary detention, treatment, or conservatorship of individuals with behavioral health conditions to include those living with severe substance use disorders.

Sonoma County Welcomes Two New Hospital and Regional CEOs

Who

Hospitals with health care facilities located in the city of Berkeley   

What

The city of Berkeley’s Fair Workweek Ordinance goes into effect on Jan. 12. Passed in 2022, the ordinance requires employers in Berkeley to adhere to certain scheduling and notification requirements for shifts, provide predictability pay to all employees, and offer work to existing employees first.  

Delayed Implementation of SB 43 in the South Bay

Who

What

In early October, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 43, which expands the definition of “gravely disabled” in the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act to include substance abuse. The legislation gave counties an option to delay implementation until January 2026.  

Contra Costa County Meeting Discusses Ambulance Patient Offload Times  

Who What Hospital Council convened hospital leaders, Contra Costa EMS, and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District for our quarterly meeting on ambulance patient offload times (APOT).     Sutter Delta Medical Center and Contra Costa Regional Medical Center shared recent operational changes they made to achieve a reduction in their APOT by 30 minutes, for […]