Northern Sierra

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.

 

 

 

 

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 […]

Partnership HealthPlan Expanding to 10 More Counties

Who What For many years, 14 of the counties in the Northern Sierra Section have had a county-organized health system, Partnership HealthPlan of California (Partnership), as their sole Medi-Cal managed care plan. This structure has proven so popular that the 10 remaining counties in the Northern Sierra Section petitioned the state — through their boards […]

Hospital Council Participates in Rural-Focused Events

Who What Hospital Council participated in two recent gatherings, one with ITUP and another with CSRHA. ITUP has new leadership and is seeking input on strategic direction. Hospital Council was asked to provide a perspective on rural hospitals and shared critical workforce and funding challenges. The CSRHA event emphasized that California is a rural state […]

Hospital Council Leads Effort to Improve Care for Patients Experiencing Challenges; Groundbreaking for Hospital in Chester

Who What In rural Northern California, patients with dual diagnoses, challenging medical or behavioral health issues, or those who are experiencing homelessness are not as common as in urban areas. However, they are present and significantly impact hospital staff and resources, with some staying months or even years. Many times, the case’s complexity has never […]