Amended in Assembly March 16, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1827

Introduced by Assembly Member Kim

February 9, 2016

An act relating to mobile field begin delete hospitals. end delete begin insert hospitals, and making an appropriation therefor. end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1827, as amended, Kim. Emergency medical services: mobile field hospitals.

Existing law establishes the begin insert Office of end insert Emergency begin delete Medical end delete Services begin delete Authority in the Health and Welfare Agency to administer a statewide system of coordinated emergency medical care, injury prevention, and disaster medical response. end delete begin insert in the office of the Governor and makes the office responsible for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies. Existing law authorizes the purchase of end insert begin insert mobile field hospitals. end insert

This bill would begin delete express the intent of the Legislature to establish funding for end delete begin insert make an appropriation of $2,000,000 from the General Fund to the Office of Emergency Services for the purpose of providing maintenance and upkeep of end insert one begin insert or more end insert mobile field begin delete hospital to end delete begin insert hospitals that would end insert be ready and available within 72 hours to assist local communities in the event of a natural disaster or other mass casualty begin delete incidents. end delete begin insert incident. The bill would make related findings and declarations. end insert

Vote:  begin delete majority end delete begin insert ²⁄₃ end insert . Appropriation:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

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The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of
the following:

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(a) In 2007, the state purchased three mobile field hospitals
with the intent to replace or augment acute hospital care capacity
during catastrophic emergencies or outbreaks, such as
earthquakes, fires, and floods.

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(b) Each mobile field hospital can be deployed as a 200-bed
acute care facility with its own power generation system, HVAC,
and medical equipment, such as ventilators, oxygen delivery, and
diagnostic equipment. Each hospital has an emergency department,
operating room stations, intensive care unit, digital X-ray,
laboratory testing, and pharmacy. This is the largest nonmilitary
mobile field hospital program in the world.

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(c) All three mobile field hospitals that the state owns are stored
in the Sacramento area in delayed-deployment status.

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(d) Without funding, these units cannot be mobilized in time to
treat patients during the initial phase of a response to a
catastrophic emergency or outbreak.

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(e) The state should proactively procure and manage these
assets before a natural disaster or other catastrophic emergency
occurs.

end insert

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begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert begin insert

There is hereby appropriated the sum of two million
dollars ($2,000,000) from the General Fund to the Office of
Emergency Services for the purpose of providing maintenance and
upkeep of one or more mobile field hospitals to be ready and
available within 72 hours to assist local communities in the event
of a natural disaster or other mass casualty incident.

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SECTION 1.  

It is the intent of the Legislature to establish
funding for one mobile field hospital to be ready and available
within 72 hours to assist local communities in the event of a natural
disaster or other mass casualty incidents.

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