In response to the California Legislature’s passage of SB 525 (Durazo), the California Hospital Association and SEIU California released
the following statements.
“Vulnerable communities are on a more stable path to ensuring they have access to life-saving hospital services, thanks to timely action by state legislators and the leadership of Gov. Gavin Newsom; Sen. Anna Caballero; Assembly Members Esmeralda Soria, Eduardo Garcia, and Jim Wood; Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins; and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas; along with Sen. Shannon Grove,” said […]
“California hospitals are deeply concerned the proposed May revision to the state budget includes no additional, immediate emergency relief funding for California’s hospitals,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “California is teetering on the edge of an unprecedented crisis in access to vital hospital services. One in five hospitals is […]
“California’s hospitals commend Gov. Newsom for his ongoing commitment to increasing access to health care in his proposed January budget, despite the state facing a more than $22 billion budget shortfall,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “The budget also must support the health care providers who care for patients day […]
“In his revised state budget proposal, Gov. Newsom recommends a variety of important health care investments,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “These include funds for additional COVID-19 tests, vaccines, and contingency staffing; health care workforce development; health information exchange infrastructure; and to address child and youth behavioral health needs.” “CHA […]
“Governor Newsom’s budget proposal to expand health care coverage to all income-eligible adults ages 26-49 regardless of immigration status is the final step needed to ensure that California becomes the first state in the nation to achieve universal health care coverage,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “Delivering coverage for […]
“California hospitals have made significant investments and engaged in numerous national initiatives over the past decade that enable vital patient data and health information to be shared electronically between providers, as well as between patients and their caregivers,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “We all share the goal of […]
“The new public health order announced today by Gov. Newsom will help ensure that California remains ahead of the curve in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “The unfortunate reality is that COVID-19 is again on the rise nationally, and in California, driven by the highly infectious Delta variant. It is imperative that we all do everything possible to protect patients and our communities from COVID-19 illnesses and death.”
Partnerships between hospitals, health systems, and other providers are essential to increasing access to critically important patient care services in communities across California — especially in areas where specialty doctors and services are scarce. These partnerships are even more important to people who live in underserved communities, where these relationships weave together a safety net they rely upon.
A prime example of these valuable partnerships is in Northridge, where Dignity Health and UCLA have had a long-standing partnership to run the only pediatric trauma unit in the San Fernando Valley, treating 700 patients per year. And, in the Central Valley, the Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center at Dignity Health Mercy Medical Center in Merced provides critical cancer care to over 13,000 patients per year.
Across California, hospitals and health systems partner with each other every day to provide and support a public health infrastructure that offers mental health care, substance use disorder treatment, pediatric care, specialty services like cancer care in rural and underserved communities, telemedicine, and more. Through these collaborations, hospitals also are able to provide educational opportunities that ensure the next generation of physicians are exposed to caring for a variety of patients and health conditions. Eliminating these partnerships will only serve to reduce access to life-saving services. Decision-makers must take action to protect these relationships that save lives.