Legislative record
Health facilities: emergency medical services.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to license and regulate various health facilities, including general acute care hospitals. Existing law requires the department to issue a special permit, in addition to a license, to a health facility to offer one or more special services, such as an emergency center, if specified requirements are met, including that the department finds that the standards of care and services are adequate and appropriate. Existing law requires the department to issue a special permit to allow a general acute care hospital to offer emergency stabilization services at a location that is neither inside nor contiguous to the applicant hospital if the hospital provides satisfactory evidence to the department that, among other things, the hospital has a written transfer agreement with the hospital closest to the location where emergency stabilization services will be provided and satisfactory evidence to the department that this location meets certain requirements, including that the location is in the town of Paradise within the County of Butte and serves the same area previously served by Feather River Hospital. This bill would require the department to issue a waiver, as specified, to a publicly owned and operated general acute care hospital, in collaboration with Del Puerto Health Care District, to operate one rural emergency stabilization care unit and waive designated general acute care hospital licensure requirements if specified conditions are met. The bill would limit the term of the waiver based on prescribed factors, including the completion of a hospital build within a 5-mile radius of the emergency stabilization care unit or within 10 years from the initial issuance of the waiver, except as specified. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for Del Puerto Health Care District.