BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 355
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 8, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 355 (Cooley) - As Amended: April 18, 2013
Policy Committee: Governmental
Organization Vote: 16 - 1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill reverses an on-going budget action by the Legislature
and governor by appropriating $1.7 million GF to the Emergency
medical Services Authority (EMSA) for the Mobile Field Hospital
(MFH) program.
FISCAL EFFECT
This bill contains a $1.7 million GF appropriation for EMSA.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . The author states that AB 355 will strengthen
California's preparedness for natural disasters and
catastrophic emergencies by restoring $1.7 million in funding
to continue to maintain three rapid deployment mobile field
hospitals. In addition, the author argues, if funding for the
program is not restored, the state may be forced to sell the
MFHs and related equipment at a fraction of the cost of their
initial investment.
2)Mobile Field Hospital Program . The MFH Program was established
in 2006 with funding provided by the General Fund and federal
funds from the Department of Homeland Security and the
Hospital Preparedness Program. The three hospitals, capable
of deploying 200-beds each, were located in Sacramento, the
Bay Area, and Southern California to allow for transportation,
set-up and patient treatment within 72 hours or less anywhere
in the state after a disaster.
The MFHs have been deployed twice for exercises and have been
AB 355
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placed on alert four times for potential deployment in the
state in response to wildfires and H1N1. To date, they have
not been deployed for an actual emergency in the last four
years.
The MFHs were fully maintained until the 2011-12 budget year,
when the Legislature and Governor Brown eliminated the MFH
program's funding due to budget constraints. Faced with the
elimination, the EMSA struck a one-year deal with
manufacturer, Blu-Med, which the state previously paid $1
million a year to handle maintenance and subcontractors.
Blu-Med agreed to waive its annual fee in exchange for being
able to lease out two of California's three MFHs to other
governments. The EMSA found other agency funds to pay the
remaining costs for storage. It is unclear if Blu-Med, which
expires in June 2013, will again be willing to forgo its $1
million annual fee in exchange for leasing out two of the
MFHs.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081