2 Bills Would Help Hospitals Meet Seismic Standards

The state must find a way to help California’s hospitals meet costly seismic standards without financially crippling the institutions or causing the costs of health care to soar, legislators said Tuesday as they prepared to introduce two bills on the issue.

At a news conference outside the Capitol, the officeholders said most California hospitals will face almost insurmountable challenges in meeting a 2008 deadline to seismically upgrade about 2,700 buildings. The cost of the construction has been estimated at $10 billion to $12 billion.

More than a third of California’s hospital buildings--and more than half of Los Angeles County’s--are vulnerable to collapse in a strong earthquake, according to a state study released in March.

The report found that one out of three hospital buildings in Orange and Ventura counties poses “a significant risk of collapse and a danger to the public after a strong earthquake.”

The Senate’s health committee today will hold a hearing on a bill introduced by state Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana) that would provide for about $5 billion in bond money to help defray the costs. On Thursday, another Senate bill will be heard that seeks to extend the deadline for some hospitals.

The problem, many health care officials and legislators say, is that most of the state’s hospitals operate in the red and do not have the capacity to raise the money for upgrades.

Even more expensive upgrades will be required by 2030 and could push up health care costs overall, officials said.