About Northern Sierra
The Northern Sierra Section is comprised of 21 hospitals, representing 1,400 licensed beds in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity counties.
Healthcare Professional Shortage Area Designations Reviewed
Who What A Healthcare Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation is critical for many recruitment efforts in hospitals and clinics, as the designation brings with it access to some state and federal programs offering tuition reimbursement, grants, visa waivers, and more. Some HPSA designations are automatic and tied to a specific clinic or facility, and other […]
Rural Health Information Exchange Is Now Statewide
Who What SVMS has announced its expansion from a regional to a statewide qualified health information organization by partnering with Dignity Health. SVMS is set to extend its health data exchange services to over 30 Dignity hospitals across the state. Over a decade ago, the Northern Sierra Section of Hospital Council and its hospital members […]
Northern Sierra Hospitals Advocate for Rural Health Access
Who What The Northern Sierra Section met on April 10 at Sutter Health Park with an agenda focused on information sharing between and among hospitals, the California Hospital Association (CHA), and Hospital Council. During the hospital roundtable, it became evident that integrating advanced practice professionals (APPs) into the care model poses challenges for several hospitals. […]
Addressing Emergency Department Challenges in Northern Sierra
Who What Hospital Council efforts to sustain rural ambulance services continue. The newly formed coalition of state associations, LEMSAs, ambulance providers, county supervisors, and other entities will move next to do an analysis. While all members of the coalition are aware of the rural ambulance service crisis and its potential to worsen, data and patient […]
Coalition Forms to Address Rural Ambulance Services
Who What A new coalition of legislators, emergency medical professionals, county representatives, and Hospital Council staff met to discuss the prevention of more closures and reduction of rural ambulance services in California. Ambulance providers closing or reducing services has become commonplace in rural areas, with response times in some areas ranging from many hours to […]
PHC Holds Symposium on Rural Maternity Care
Who What Partnership HealthPlan of California (PHC) held a one-day symposium on Feb. 12 about the lack of maternity services in rural areas and the threat of additional closures. Hospitals face significant challenges including low volumes of births, difficulty recruiting staff, and the cost of modernizing or adding operating rooms. Held in two locations simultaneously, […]
Hospital Council Engages on Jobs and EMS Access
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 […]
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.”
Reasons To Celebrate in The Northern Sierra
Who What The Northern Sierra Section is starting the 2023 holiday season off with reasons for gratitude and celebration. Three examples stand out with SVMS, SHARC, and CDPH – Chico. SVMS, headquartered in Chico, has been named a qualified health information organization (QHIO) by the California Health and Human Services Agency, accelerating the advance of […]
Chester Fire Department May Cease Ambulance and Fire Services
Who What The Chester Fire Protection District board is considering ceasing ambulance and fire services in January 2024. There is no set alternative in place, and concerns are being raised regarding the ability of community members to access care. Takeaway/Next Steps If the Chester Fire Department’s ambulance services cease, it will be the second community […]