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Hospitals exist to provide medical care and save lives, regardless of patients’ ability to pay. When it comes to caring for the homeless, hospitals routinely make extraordinary efforts to ensure these individuals are provided the care they need — both within the hospital and after they are ready to be discharged.
In 2006, Assemblymember Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) authored AB 2745 as a way to encourage more local community dialogue on the post-hospital transition of homeless patients. The legislation required California’s three regional hospital associations, which represent virtually all of the hospitals in California, to convene local meetings of key stakeholders to identify best practices and opportunities for improving the hospital discharge of homeless patients. By Jan. 1, 2008, each regional hospital association was required to develop a document that is a compilation of recommendations based upon the regional planning meetings.
Regional Reports
More than 40 meetings were held throughout the state. On the right side of this page are the links to each of the regional hospital association reports containing summaries of these meetings with findings, recommendations, lessons learned and opportunities for continued community collaboration. The regional hospital associations convened meetings of stakeholders, which included hospitals, shelters, county health departments, law enforcement, elected officials and community agencies, among others. Participation at each meeting varied, but overall, the meetings were well attended and included a good representation of local stakeholders.
These regional meetings, as envisioned by Jones and called for in AB 2745, provided an important opportunity for hospitals and local community members to come together and discuss the challenges unique to their communities. Clearly, there was a shared belief by all communities and among stakeholders that the current situation facing California’s homeless population is a complex, deep-rooted problem. It is bigger than any single institution, and solutions will require the engagement of all sectors. The local infrastructure to address homeless issues varies greatly from region to region, and ranges from extremely well-developed programs to virtually none at all.
The recommendations coming out of these meetings are often unique to the community. Recommendations that came out of the meetings in Los Angeles may likely not be applicable in Eureka. But perhaps the most important recommendation throughout these reports is to create better lines of communication among hospitals, homeless service providers, and other stakeholders in the community.
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Regional Reports
- Report from Hospital Association of Southern California, representing hospitals in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
- Report from Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, representing hospitals from the Oregon border south to Kern County.
- Report from Hospital Council of San Diego and Imperial Counties.
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