Alameda Health System: hospital authority.

Plain English Breakdown

The specific changes to be made in the enabling ordinance are not detailed.

Alameda Health System: Hospital Authority

This law allows changes to the rules governing the Alameda Health System's board, including allowing local public entities that support the hospital to have a representative on the board and permitting county supervisors or employees to serve as members without affecting the authority’s independence.

What This Bill Does

• Allows the Board of Supervisors to amend the enabling ordinance for the hospital authority.
• Requires the enabling ordinance to authorize the membership of the governing board to include, with approval from the Board of Supervisors, a representative of any local public entity that contributes financial or other support to the hospital authority.
• Authorizes the governing board to consist entirely of members of the board of supervisors or to include county officers or employees appointed to represent the interests of the county.
• Prohibits the inclusion of members of the board of supervisors or county employees on the governing board from being a basis to determine that the hospital authority is not an independent entity.
• Authorizes the governing board to delegate day-to-day operational responsibilities to subsidiary bodies established by it, with safeguards ensuring ultimate control remains with the governing board.
• Permits the hospital authority to affiliate with or acquire ownership or control of additional public or private hospitals, clinics, or programs to further its mission.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Board of Supervisors of Alameda County
• The Alameda Health System Hospital Authority
• Local public entities that support the hospital

Terms To Know

Hospital authority

A group set up by a county to manage and run hospitals.

Enabling ordinance

The rules made by the Board of Supervisors that create and control how the hospital authority works.

Limits and Unknowns

• It is not clear what specific changes will be made to the enabling ordinance.
• Details about day-to-day operational responsibilities are left up to the governing board's discretion.

Official Summary Text

SB 1400, as amended, Arreguín.
Alameda Health System: hospital authority.
Existing law authorizes the Board of Supervisors of the County of Alameda to establish a hospital authority for the purpose of effecting a transfer of the management, administration, and control of the Alameda Health System. Existing law requires the hospital authority to be governed by a board that is appointed, both initially and continually, by the board of supervisors. Existing law requires the enabling ordinance to specify the membership of the hospital authority governing board, the qualifications for individual members, the manner of appointment, selection, or removal of governing board members, their terms of office, and all other matters that the board of supervisors deems necessary or convenient for the conduct of the hospital authority’s activities. Existing law specifies that a hospital authority established pursuant to these provisions, but that does not obtain the
administration, management, and control of the medical center or has those duties and responsibilities revoked by the board of supervisors, is not empowered with the powers provided to an independent hospital authority, as specified.
This bill would
specify that the board of supervisors is authorized to amend the enabling ordinance. The bill would
require the enabling ordinance to authorize the membership of the governing board to include, with the approval of the board of supervisors, a representative of any local public entity that contributes financial or other support to the hospital authority, as specified. The bill would authorize, at the board of supervisors’ discretion and as specified in the enabling ordinance, the governing board to consist entirely of members of the board of supervisors or to include any number of the members of the board of
supervisors or county officers or employees appointed to represent the interests of the county. The bill would prohibit the inclusion of members of the board of supervisors or county employees on the governing board from being a basis to determine that the hospital authority is not an independent entity or that the hospital authority has not obtained the administration, management, and control of the medical center.
This bill would also authorize the governing board to delegate day-to-day operational responsibilities to one or more subsidiary bodies it establishes, consisting of members possessing relevant expertise, and requires that delegation to involve reasonable safeguards to ensure that the governing board retains ultimate control over the hospital authority. The bill would authorize the hospital authority to affiliate with, or acquire ownership or control of, additional public or private hospitals, clinics, or programs to further its mission, at the
discretion of the governing board.
After a hospital authority is created as specified, the bill would authorize the board of supervisors to change the composition of the governing board and to revoke the duties and responsibilities of the hospital authority and transfer the hospital authority back to the county.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF