The newsroom includes access to Council Connect, our twice-monthly newsletter on Hospital Council’s work. Key articles and issues of interest, along with the President’s Message, are included below.
Newsroom
Hope, Hard Work, and Hospitals
“I believe in hope. I also believe in the power of hard work.” — Ted Lasso
Santa Clara County EMS Agency Budget Proposes Major Fee Increases to Hospitals
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Sonoma County Hospital Leaders Welcome New Health Services Director
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Health Care Leaders Engage on Medicaid, APOT at Sacramento’s Annual Cap-to-Cap
Last week, more than 450 leaders from businesses, nonprofit organizations, local government, and health care in the six-county Sacramento region participated in the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce’s 53rd Annual Capitol-to-Capitol (Cap-to-Cap) federal advocacy program in Washington, D.C. Hospital Council members who took part included representatives from CommonSpirit Health, Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, and UC Davis Health.
Hospital Leaders Take Message on Threats to Medicaid, Medicare to Capitol Hill
As part of the American Hospital Association Annual Meeting held in Washington, D.C., last week, California hospital and health system leaders participated in more than 20 meetings with the California congressional delegation. Read more in CHA News.
PG&E to Host May 28 Webinar on Wildfire Safety
On May 28 from 10-11:30 a.m. (PT), Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) will host a webinar for public safety partners that operate critical facilities, including hospitals. During the webinar, PG&E will discuss important planning and preparedness resources, as well as advance support in the event of public safety power shutoffs or outages on powerlines protected by enhanced powerline safety settings.
SF’s New Public Health Director to Focus on Improving Mental Health Care
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Last week, Hospital Council met with Dan Tsai, the new director of the San Francisco Public Health Department (SFPHD). Tsai’s primary focus in his work with hospitals will be improving the 5150 hold process, in support of Mayor Lurie’s “Breaking the Cycle” directive. Through that work, the city will seek to connect SF’s most complex patients to treatment and services.
Hospital Council Urges Merced County to Investigate Delays in Processing Medi-Cal Applications
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Last week, Hospital Council learned that some hospitals in Merced County are struggling to receive timely reimbursement for services covered through Medi-Cal, the result of an application backlog. Hospital Council is looking into the scope of the issue and plans to urge Merced County to investigate. Timely application processing is critical to ensure hospitals, which already face significant financial strain, are appropriately reimbursed for the care they provide.
Hospitals and Partnership HealthPlan Talk Medicaid, Workforce, and More
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Northern Sierra Section hospitals gathered at Plumas District Hospital in Quincy last month to meet with leadership from PHC, the section’s Medi-Cal managed care plan. The group discussed shared concerns about proposed cuts to Medicaid, especially provider tax programs, that would be devastating for many rural providers and communities.
All Hands on Deck
As hospitals face some of the greatest challenges in our long history, there is strength in unity — and a critical need for action. While the California Hospital Association continues its advocacy at both the state and federal levels, Hospital Council is doing its part to amplify hospital voices — ensuring lawmakers understand, in real and local terms, the devastating impact Medicaid cuts would have on the delivery of health care to all Californians.
