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
Honoring Outgoing and Recognizing Incoming Board Members
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
As we wrap up the year, Hospital Council would like to recognize the members of the board who resigned during the year or are completing their service at the end of the year:
Reflections on 2022
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
It’s hard to believe, but it is already mid-December and the new year is just around the corner. As I look back on 2022, it feels like it was just yesterday that hospitals were dealing with the impacts of the omicron surge. Now, with some hospitals at or near capacity and emergency department and inpatient rates equal to or higher than what you experienced during omicron, your hospitals have — once again — stepped up to meet the health care needs of Californians as COVID-19, flu, and RSV collide to create a “tripledemic.”
The Cost of the Status Quo: The Consequences of Prolonged ED Boarding
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Washington Post recently published the article "An autistic teen needed mental health help. He spent weeks in an ER instead." It is beyond distressing to hear repeated stories about the suffering of patients and families like Zach’s, spending days and in this case months in the emergency department waiting for a transition to behavioral...
Applications for Nursing Grant Expansion Program Due Jan. 6
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced an $80 million funding opportunity through its Nursing Expansion Grant Program to address workforce development challenges, including training, diversification, and nursing shortages. Applications are due by Jan. 6.
After Years of Meeting Virtually, a Chance to Gather In-Person
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Earlier this week, the Hospital Council Board of Trustees held its first in-person meeting since January 2020. While the board continued to meet regularly yet virtually throughout the pandemic, it was great to have both our current board members and our new incoming board members in-person for this occasion.
Addressing Workforce Is a Start, But We Must Ensure They Have a Place to Live
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
In the South Bay, affordable housing is so scarce that one hospital is bussing some employees in from the Central Valley, often putting them up at hotels during the week.
CHPAC Vital to Our Success
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
At all levels of government — local, state, and federal — decisions are made that will dramatically impact how hospitals deliver first-in-class care. For this reason, it’s vital to help elect candidates who share hospital values.
Shining the Spotlight on Health Equity
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
While COVID-19 may have brought to light many health care inequities, they are nothing new. Disparate health outcomes for minorities, individuals experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ+, and other segments of California’s population have been documented for decades and reflect longstanding structural and systemic inequities that are rooted in racism and discrimination. Today, the disparities have risen to the level of a public health crisis in California, and your hospitals are on the front lines of addressing these inequities.
Recent Heatwave May Have Subsided but Work on Energy-Related Issues Continues
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
From fires and floods to earthquakes — and now record-setting high temperatures — your hospitals have seen it all. The recent heatwave posed unique challenges to the state’s energy grid, and although hospitals were specifically exempted from any potential rotating outages, Hospital Council truly thanks you for conserving power when possible while ensuring patient safety was never compromised.
On-Demand Recording Offers PSPS Resources and Medical Baseline Program Information
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
During times of extreme weather, California’s Investor Owned Utility (IOU) power companies recommend residents have an emergency preparedness plan in place in the event power must be shut off for safety reasons. The Medical Baseline Allowance Programs enable patients who depend on power for certain conditions to lower energy rates and, most importantly, receive extra...
