AB 911: Hospitals: closures.

Session Year: 2015-2016
House: Assembly

Version:

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law authorizes a general acute care hospital, as defined, to offer special services, including, but not limited to, emergency medical services. Existing law requires a hospital that provides emergency medical services to provide notice of the planned reduction or elimination of those services to certain entities and the public, as specified. Existing law requires a health facility that implements a downgrade or change in services to make a reasonable effort to inform the community that it serves of the downgrade or change, as specified. Existing law authorizes the department to exempt a hospital from those disclosure requirements upon specified circumstances.

This bill would require a general acute care hospital that provides emergency medical services that is scheduled for closure to conduct public hearings for public review and comment, as specified. The bill would also authorize Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, San Clemente, to continue, under its existing license, to provide emergency medical services to patients in the region if it otherwise transforms its delivery of services.

This bill would authorize Saddleback Memorial Medical Center to operate an emergency department at its San Clemente campus, subject to specified requirements.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the communities of San Clemente, Dana Point, and San Juan Capistrano.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Discussed in Hearing