Behavioral health is a public policy priority with a significant impact on other policy priorities: access, financial challenges, emergency services, governmental mandates, and workforce.
Community health is impacted by myriad policy issues including access to care, care coordination, pre- and post-acute service availability, community support service availability, as well as the social determinants of health status such as poverty, housing instability/affordability, food insecurity, lack of physical activity, race/ethnicity, education, health literacy and documentation status.
Many of the barriers to effective emergency care systems are also barriers to effective population health management and the Associations’ vision of an optimally healthy society. Pre-hospital care and services, emergency department crowding, alternate destinations and treatment sites as well as post-acute transfer options impact the effectiveness of emergency departments and the ability of residents to receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.
Secure, effective exchange of patient health information is critical to increase coordination of care and decrease costly duplication of services. Issues involved include: data ownership; privacy; connectivity; access; and local vs. statewide HIEs.
Without sufficient, well-trained health care professionals at all levels of the care continuum, access, quality, timeliness and safety for patients and staff is compromised. Shortages include specialty nurses, clinical lab scientists, respiratory and physical therapists, radiology technologists and more.
More than 30 hospitals across California, many in rural areas, will soon be able to treat patients for opioid withdrawal on the spot.
The state chose the hospitals for a federally-funded program that trains doctors on medication-assisted treatment. It’s a way of easing opioid withdrawal symptoms by giving someone a less addictive painkiller. (Capital Public Radio)
He doesn’t know it now but when Grayson James Wright is old enough to speak, he’ll have quite a story to tell about how he came into the world.
“Oh, it was terrifying,” said Kamber Wright, Grayson’s mother, who was one week away from her due date of November 15 and her husband Matthew was at work when the phone started ringing. (KRCR News Channel)
Kaiser Permanente Fresno has announced an investment in the new initiative Street2Home — a countywide collaboration to combat homelessness. (The Business Journal)
Mark Twain Medical Center may see some changes in the coming months, due to the recent merger between Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI). (Calaveras Enterprise)
The Hospital Council of Northern and Central California is the unified voice of our members, acting as a catalyst to empower hospitals to act together on issues affecting patient care and the health status of communities. We are dedicated to advocating for our member hospitals at the local and regional level and in support of California Hospital Association (CHA) at the State and Federal level.
We strive to be an invaluable partner, convening groups across multiple sectors to address health and quality of life challenges within our communities.
