Many hospitals are undertaking these new projects as part of efforts to meet seismic safety guidelines because they sit on fault lines and are vulnerable to earthquakes. Following a Northridge earthquake in 1994, the California legislature passed SB 1953, which provided requirements for organizations to meet seismic safety goals by 2013 and beyond.
Most of the federally-qualified healthcare clinics in Sonoma, Napa and Marin have decided they need to expand to meet the law’s requirements even if it means cutting services, according to the North Bay Business Journal report.
With these hospitals feeling the affect of the economy and Medi-Cal cuts, many of these projects will be a challenge. North Bay health clinics expect to lose millions in 2009, according to the report.
Read the North Bay Business Journal’s report on the California hospital seismic deadline.
Learn more about California SB 1953.
