The California State Assembly has passed a bill that would allow hospitals to apply for a seven-year extension of the 2013 deadline to meet seismic safety requirements, which are expected to cost $41.7 billion statewide, according to a San Jose Mercury News report.
The bill will now go to Gov. Jerry Brown. Under the bill, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development would grant extension to hospitals based on structural integrity, construction budget and proximity to other hospitals.
According to California seismic laws, hospitals must be able to withstand a major earthquake by 2013, or the state will prohibit the hospital from providing acute care services. By 2030, hospitals must withstand an earthquake and continue to function.
The provision would not take effect unless another bill, yet to be introduced, extends the fee that private hospitals pay into Medi-Cal to June 30, 2012. This added funding could help hospitals unable to afford seismic upgrades.
Some lawmakers opposed the bill, saying Japan’s tragedies should make Californians focus on their tectonic stability.
Read the San Jose Mercury News report on California hospitals and seismic upgrades.
Read more about seismic upgrades to hospitals:
– Officials Identify More Than 20 California Hospitals as Structurally Unsound
– Scripps Health in California Begins $2B, 25-Year Rebuilding Plan
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