(1) The Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983 (act) establishes, under the jurisdiction of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, a program of seismic safety building standards for certain hospitals constructed on and after March 7, 1973. A violation of any provision of the act is a misdemeanor. The act requires an owner of a general acute care inpatient hospital, no later than January 1, 2030, to either demolish, replace, or change to nonacute care use all hospital buildings not in substantial compliance with the standards established pursuant to the act or seismically retrofit all acute care inpatient hospital buildings so that they are in substantial compliance with those standards. The act requires, before January 1, 2020, the owner of an acute care inpatient hospital whose building does not substantially comply with described seismic safety regulations or standards to submit to the office an attestation that the board of directors of that hospital is aware that the hospital building is required to meet a specified deadline for substantial compliance with those regulations and standards.
This bill would require, on or before January 1, 2021, the owner of an acute care inpatient hospital to update the above-described submission by reporting the services provided in each building of the acute care inpatient hospital. The bill would instead require, on and after January 1, 2030, all general acute care inpatient hospitals that have been approved by the State Department of Public Health to operate emergency medical service, surgical suite, and postsurgical services to be capable of providing these services for 72 hours following a seismic event, unless the office determines a general acute care inpatient hospital is in a county that has a low seismic risk. The bill would specify the conditions under which a general acute care inpatient hospital is authorized to operate these services, for 72 hours following a seismic event, in an alternative location or manner. The bill would authorize how utility lines, including electrical systems, necessary for the operation of emergency medical service, surgical suite, and postsurgical services are authorized to be installed and braced. The bill would require the office to promulgate regulations to administer these provisions as emergency regulations.
The bill would require a general acute care inpatient hospital that receives approval to submit a construction schedule to the office to submit the schedule no later than one year from the date the request was approved and imposes penalties for a failure to do so.
By expanding the duties of general acute care inpatient hospitals under the act, the bill would expand an existing crime, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.
(2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Statutes affected:
SB758: 130065 HSC, 130066 HSC
02/22/19 - Introduced: 130065 HSC, 130066 HSC
03/27/19 - Amended Senate: 130065 HSC, 130066 HSC
09/13/19 - Amended Assembly: 130065 HSC, 130066 HSC