Desert Healthcare District Board sponsors & seeks support for feasibility study on freestanding emergency departments
A new California Senate bill proposes to study the feasibility of establishing freestanding emergency departments in areas of the state where healthcare access is lacking.
According to Senate Bill 588, which is authored by State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, the study would provide recommendations for using freestanding emergency departments (FEDs) to complement existing healthcare systems and mitigate the risk of "healthcare deserts" in rural, disadvantaged and underserved areas.
A flyer on the proposed legislation cites the lack of healthcare access that residents in the eastern Coachella Valley experience as an example of the need that freestanding emergency departments would possibly alleviate. Senator Ochoa Bogh has named the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation as a sponsor of the bill. Learn more about SB 588.
As a sponsor, the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board, which includes Directors who represent remote and disadvantaged communities, recently submitted a letter of support for SB 588.
"We are especially encouraged by the bill’s intent language acknowledging the potential for a pilot project within the Desert Healthcare District," the letter states. "Our community, with its limited emergency resources and high rates of chronic illness, is an ideal setting to explore the viability and impact of a freestanding emergency department model in California.," the letter states.
As members of a public agency whose mission is to optimize health at all stages of life for all residents, including those who are a part of vulnerable populations, the District & Foundation Board is sharing the letter with nonprofit partners, community leaders, medical associations, health professionals, and residents who want to support SB 588.
The letter is available to read and use as a template, by clicking here.
Any organization or individual who would like to submit a letter can send it directly to the state by visiting the California Legislature Position Letter Portal or share it with the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation by emailing it to info@dhcd.org.
Sponsoring SB 588 aligns with the District and Foundation's longstanding vision statement: Equitably connecting Coachella Valley residents to health and wellness services and programs through philanthropy, health facilities, information and community education, and public policy.
About the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation