California Assemblymember Patrick O'Donnell, D-Long Beach, has introduced a bill that would require hospitals to provide more notice before closing or eliminating services.
The closure transparency bill requires hospitals to provide a 180-day public notice before closing or eliminating services. Current law requires a 30-day notice before a hospital closure and 90-day notice before eliminating emergency services.
"Hospital closures are devastating for communities. Just last year, Community Hospital of Long Beach closed its doors after abruptly diverting emergency room patients to other hospitals with little notice to residents," Mr. O'Donnell said in a news release. "There was very little time to engage the hospital provider on an alternative to closure, and patients ultimately paid the price. There are now longer wait times for services, longer ambulance travel times and overcrowding at other facilities."
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