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
City of Berkeley Fair Workweek Ordinance Becomes Effective Jan. 12
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
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
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
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
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
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.
HQI Will Facilitate Community of Practice on Workplace Violence In 2024
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) will facilitate a Community of Practice on Eliminating Hospital Workplace Violence from January to December 2024. The purpose of the Community of Practice is to connect individuals working on the issue of workplace violence in hospitals through a collaborative network designed for peer-to-peer learning and exchange.
PG&E Will Host Gas and Electric Rates Webinar on Jan. 18
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The PG&E Rates Communications Team will host a Teams Live webinar on Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. (PT). Registration is not required to attend. Attendees can join the day of the event via a Teams link.
Facing the Future by Remembering the Past
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
January is a time filled with hope as we look ahead to the new year, but it’s important to reflect on the past so we don’t repeat the same mistakes. Jan. 3, 2024, marked the one-year anniversary of the closure of Madera Community Hospital. As the only general acute care hospital in Madera County, its closure drew attention to the significant financial challenges that most California hospitals face. Before Madera’s closure, many elected officials wrongly believed hospitals were flush with money and too big to fail, but the reality is that an estimated one in five California hospitals is at risk of closure, which means greater difficulty for patients to access health care.
What happened to Madera Community Hospital could happen elsewhere as hospitals in California continue to face major challenges, including:
Sonoma County Welcomes Two New Hospital and Regional CEOs
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
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
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
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.
Endorsed Business Partner | MCAG
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TIMELY UPDATE: VISA/MASTERCARD SETTLEMENT
Hospital Council and our endorsed business partner Managed Care Advisory Group (MCAG), a third-party filing expert, would like to inform members that a $5.54 billion settlement has been reached to compensate merchants for excessive interchange fees. The deadline for submitting your claim form is May 31, 2024.
Resilience in 2023
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As the Hospital Council team looks back on everything our hospital members have accomplished this past year, the first thing that comes to mind is the word resilience. Unfortunately, we started the year with the closure of Madera Community Hospital on Jan. 3, which drew attention to the significant financial challenges that hospitals face in California. Before Madera’s closure, many elected officials wrongly believed hospitals were flush with money and too big to fail, but the reality is over half of California’s hospitals have negative margins.
