Hospitals in California are facing multiple challenges that impact patients’ ability to access quality care. One of the most significant is a shortage of health care workers, with 22% of Californians living in areas without enough primary care providers. Shortages are particularly prevalent in rural areas, where patients struggle to access care because there aren’t enough nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and other health care workers to keep up with demand.
When a rural hospital closes, Californians living in these communities, mainly seniors and those below the poverty line, must travel farther for care. Additionally, rural hospitals often lack a full range of services that other hospitals may have, such as specialty doctors. For example, 20% of California’s rural hospitals have stopped offering obstetric services, and 40% no longer offer chemotherapy. This lack of access to specialty doctors impacts access to care, causing patients to travel farther for the services they need. Also concerning is that individuals and families in these areas often don’t try to access care.
Hospital Council is committed to helping our members navigate these challenges. Recently, our team has:
- Delved into an emerging issue in some rural hospitals: emergency department doctors are having trouble getting through to distant specialist doctors for consultations. Hospital Council is researching this issue to find out more details and possible solutions.
- Worked with Sonoma County leadership to alleviate emergency department overcrowding resulting from the closure of a local crisis stabilization unit, which is undergoing mold mitigation and will likely remain closed until 2025. This closure has impacted access to care for patients in the region. More information can be found below.
Hospital Council recognizes these challenges and is working with hospitals and educational providers to ensure workforce issues are being addressed. Despite these challenges, your hospitals continue lifesaving work so patients receive the care they need when they need it.