CHA News

Hospital Tours are Key to Rallying Support for Seismic Legislation

What’s happening: CHA-sponsored legislation that would offer important modifications to 2030 hospital seismic standards is making its way through the Legislature.  

What else to know: CHA is urging hospitals to help build support for Senate Bill (SB) 1432 by offering tours to their lawmakers and elected officials now through July. Marshall Medical Center in Placerville successfully held tours to showcase the challenges of seismic construction.    

Marshall Medical Center, a 111-bed general acute care hospital in El Dorado County serving more than 150,000 residents, conducted seismic tours in November 2023 and last January and February. Maia Schneider, executive director of business and strategy development, organized the tours.  

“We invited state Assembly members and senators, the County Board of Supervisors, members of the Placerville City Council, and CEOs from local chambers of commerce,” said Schneider.  

About 60 people were invited for the tours. There were seven tours scheduled over various days and times to make it convenient. More than three dozen people ended up attending, which she sees as a success.  

“We built on existing relationships with elected officials,” Schneider noted. “The tours were a new thing, but a great opportunity to elevate our relationships with elected officials and community leaders.”   

Each tour began with food, beverages, and a slideshow that highlighted the challenges of seismic construction, followed by a walking tour of the hospital campus to show areas of required upgrades.  

Schneider described the tours as “like turning on a lightbulb” for many of the officials. “The response was fantastic. Representatives from local boards immediately offered to write letters and draft resolutions in support of Marshall.  

“We swim in these waters, but we have to remember community members and elected officials don’t understand the challenges of running a hospital,” said Schneider.

 Schneider emphasized the value of the CHA Seismic Toolkit in organizing the tours. “I started with the toolkit. If I had to come up with the pre-existing content it would have taken a long time. The toolkit made the process simpler, and we used it to inform the content of the tour.”  

Her advice for hospitals wanting to conduct tours: “Don’t overthink it. The tools are there. And you don’t have to reach for everyone.” She believes seismic tours should be part of a long-term community relations strategy. Schneider continues to connect with the elected officials and community leaders who attended the tours to keep them updated and maintain the relationships.  

“It’s always possible to develop relationships with stakeholders in your community. You are creating relationships for the next round,” she said.  

SB 1432 will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee on June 25.

To assist members, CHA developed the seismic toolkit. It provides resources and guidance to hospitals on building community partnerships, holding tours, and raising awareness with legislators. Individual assistance is available with CHA’s community engagement partner, BPcubed. Contact Bobby Pena at bpena@bp3.com

Hospital participation is essential to encourage support for this legislation. 

Meantime CHA is working to build support for SB 1432 on many fronts, including a video targeted at state lawmakers to help them understand the major challenges hospitals face in order to meet the 2030 deadline. This video is being shared with members only.  

This content is restricted to members.