rural hospitals; radiation protection grants

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the distribution method or consequences if funds are insufficient.

Grant Program for Rural Hospitals' Radiation Protection

This bill provides $3 million from the state's general fund to help rural hospitals install radiation protection systems in cardiac catheterization rooms using real-time x-ray imaging.

What This Bill Does

• Appropriates $3 million from the state General Fund for the Department of Health Services (DHS) to establish a grant program.
• The grant assists rural hospitals with costs related to acquiring and installing radiation protection systems in cardiac catheterization procedure rooms using real-time x-ray imaging.
• Defines 'radiation protection system' as equipment that shields against scatter or direct ionizing radiation exposure, providing at least 0.25 millimeter lead-equivalent shielding and including real-time dosimetry for measuring radiation exposure to health professionals.
• Identifies a 'rural hospital' as one located in a county with fewer than 1 million people.

Who It Names or Affects

• Rural hospitals
• Health professionals working in cardiac catheterization procedure rooms

Terms To Know

radiation protection system

A shielding system designed to protect against scatter or direct ionizing radiation exposure, providing at least 0.25 millimeter lead-equivalent shielding and including real-time dosimetry for measuring radiation exposure.

rural hospital

A licensed hospital located in a county with fewer than 1 million people.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how the grants will be distributed among eligible hospitals.
• It is unclear what happens if the $3 million is not fully used or runs out before all eligible hospitals receive funding.

Official Summary Text

SB1118 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
HHS
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PASSED BY COW

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1118

rural hospitals;
radiation protection grants

Purpose

Appropriates $3 million in FY 2027 from the state General Fund (state GF)
to the Department of Health Services (DHS) to establish a grant program to
assist rural hospitals with the costs of installing radiation protection
systems in cardiac catheterization procedure rooms.

Background

Health care facilities utilize comprehensive sets
of measures to prevent worker injury and negative health effects from exposure
to high radiation levels.
Control
measures, including engineering controls such as shielding with lead aprons,
administrative controls such as monitoring and access restrictions and
personal
protective equipment,
function to
protect workers by reducing the radiation dose, limiting time exposure and
preventing contamination
(
OSHA
).

Health care personnel present in a procedure room
using ionizing radiation must utilize either protective aprons or whole-body
protective barriers with a minimum lead-equivalent thickness of 0.25
millimeters to reduce occupational radiation exposure. Additionally, medical
personnel must wear both badge type dosimeters and direct reading dosimeters
during radiographic procedures to monitor and document individual radiation
dose and support compliance with applicable occupational exposure limits (A.A.C.

R9-7-604

and
R9-7-1130
).

S.B. 1118 appropriates $3 million in FY 2027 from the state GF to DHS.

Provisions

1.

Appropriates
$3 million in FY 2027 from the state GF to DHS to establish and administer a
grant program to assist rural hospitals with the costs of acquiring and installing
radiation protection systems in cardiac catheterization procedure rooms in
which real-time x-ray imaging procedures occur.

2.

Defines

radiation protection system
as a shielding system that is designed to
protect against scatter or direct ionizing radiation exposure, that provides
protection equal to or greater than the shielding effectiveness of a 0.25
millimeter lead-equivalent apron and that includes

real-time dosimetry to measure radiation exposure to health professionals
throughout an ionizing radiation medical procedure.

3.

Defines

rural hospital
as a licensed hospital that is located in a county with a
population of fewer than 1,000,000 persons.

4.

Becomes
effective on the general effective date.

Amendments Adopted by the Appropriations, Transportation
and Technology Committee

1.

Appropriates $3 million, rather than an unspecified amount, in FY 2027 from
the state GF to DHS.

2.

Specifies that the radiation protection system installation grant applies
to cardiac catheterization procedure rooms.

Amendments Adopted by Committee
of the Whole

�

Replaces the term
ionizing radiation
with
real-time
x-ray imaging
as it relates to hospital procedure rooms eligible for
radiation protection system grant funding.

Senate Action

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Prepared by
Senate Research

March 3, 2026

MM/MS/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1118 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

rural hospitals;
radiation protection grants

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1118

AN
ACT

Appropriating monies to the department of
health services.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.
Appropriation;
department of health services; rural hospitals; radiation protection systems;
grants; definitions

A. The sum of
$3,000,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in
fiscal year 2026-2027 to the department of health services to establish and
administer a grant program to assist rural hospitals with the costs of
acquiring and installing radiation protection systems in
cardiac catheterization procedure rooms in which real-time
x-ray imaging procedures occur.

B.
For
the purposes of this section:

1. "Radiation
protection system" means a shielding system that is designed to protect
against scatter or direct ionizing radiation exposure, that provides protection
equal to or greater than the shielding effectiveness of a .25 millimeter lead-equivalent
apron and that includes real-time dosimetry to measure radiation exposure
to health professionals throughout an ionizing radiation medical procedure.

2. "Rural
hospital" means a licensed hospital that is located in a county with a
population of less than one million persons.