The California Legislature is back in Sacramento working to wrap up the 2024 session by the end of August. Lawmakers are considering several bills of significance to hospitals, including ones related to 2030 seismic requirements and financial sustainability for rural hospitals. In addition to state legislative items, several local ballot initiatives and issues impact Hospital Council members. These will be discussed at the Hospital Council Board of Directors meeting next week.
As our board considers these overarching issues, it’s important to take a moment and recognize that the Hospital Council region recently faced two natural disasters: a 5.2-magnitude earthquake near Bakersfield on Aug. 6 and the Park Fire that started on July 24. Fortunately, none of the hospitals in the region reported operational or structural damage from the earthquake and continued operations without interruption. However, the Park Fire — now the fourth largest wildfire in California history — has consumed more than 429,000 acres in Tehama, Butte, Shasta, and Plumas counties. No injuries or deaths have been attributed to the blaze, but this wildfire and others in the Hospital Council region — such as the Borel Fire, the Blue Fire, and the Crozier Fire — are putting significant mental strain on staff, families, and other community members who had to evacuate their homes and relive the trauma of past fires.
Meanwhile, the board will also examine several California Department of Public Health issues related to the licensing of new equipment and surveys. Our members have raised significant concerns, including the communication challenges and the frequency of surveys. We will discuss the context for this and learn from our board members’ experiences.
Other agenda items include:
- The status of various implementation plans to work with counties in providing care for the “gravely disabled” as identified in Senate Bill 43
- Ambulance patient offload time policies in different local emergency medical service agencies and the implementation of reports required by Assembly Bill 40
- Continued health care workforce challenges
- Update on Proposition 35, the managed care organization tax ballot initiative
We look forward to hearing from our board and members at upcoming section meetings and board meeting so we can continue to advocate on your behalf. With our local, state, and federal partners, we strive to help hospitals navigate myriad challenges to focus on their core mission: providing all Californians access to lifesaving, life-changing care.