At its April 30 meeting, the CHA Board of Trustees discussed several aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including:
- The policy work completed to date that supports hospitals’ efforts to prepare for surge capacity
- Advocacy work in the coming months related to:
- Restarting deferred and preventive care
- Pursuing financial relief for hospitals
- Testing expansion
- Preparations for a potential second wave of COVID-19
On the financial relief work ahead, conservative estimates put California’s short-term hospital losses at more than $10 billion. Multiple relief sources will be pursued, including federal and state funding, payments from health insurance companies, and regulatory reform on the seismic mandate.
On restarting hospital services, expanding COVID-19 testing will be a critical piece, as will how hospitals plan for adding surge capacity in the future. Work on a plan for future surges will take place over the next month before it is presented to the state.