130078.5.
(a) The department shall give the first priority to grants for single- and two-story general acute care hospitals located in remote or rural areas with less than 80 general acute care beds and general acute care hospital revenue of seventy-five million dollars ($75,000,000) or less, as reported to the department pursuant to Section 128740 in 2020.(b) (1) Grants pursuant to this chapter shall provide general acute care hospitals described in subdivision (a) with funds to secure an SPC-4D assessment for purposes of planning for, and estimating the costs of, complying with Section 130065.
(2) The department shall conduct outreach to general acute care
hospitals described in subdivision (a) regarding the availability of these grants and provide technical assistance to hospitals applying for the grants.
(3) A general acute care hospital receiving a grant for an assessment pursuant to this subdivision shall provide the estimated cost of SPC-4D compliance to the department as soon as possible.
(4) The department shall provide grants to secure assessments to general acute care hospitals that qualify within 18 months of the implementation of this section.
(c) (1) (A) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), general acute care hospitals that have received a grant for an assessment pursuant to subdivision (b) may apply for a
grant for purposes of complying with Section 130065.
(B) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), general acute care hospitals that already have a completed SPC-4D assessment may provide that assessment to the department and the department may award the general acute care hospital grant money for purposes of complying with Section 130065.
(2) If state funds are appropriated in the future for the purpose of complying with Section 130065, prior to being awarded state funds, a hospital that qualified for assessment grants under subdivision (b) shall provide the department with financial information on a form as required by the department for the following purposes:
(A) Demonstrating whether or not the hospital has attempted to
secure other methods of funding for SPC-4D compliance, including federal funding, and if not, why.
(B) Confirming the accuracy of the SPC-4D cost estimate, and that estimated costs are only for the purpose of SPC-4D compliance.
(C) Demonstrating the hospital’s need for assistance due to financial hardship and lack of ability to finance the required improvements, in order to access state funds.
(3) In awarding grants, the department shall have the authority to deny costs from the assessment completed pursuant to subdivision (b) that the department determines are not necessary to comply with SPC-4D requirements.
(d) General acute care hospitals that qualify for
grants as described in subdivision (b) shall be required to comply with NPC-3 standards no later than January 1, 2035.
(e) General acute care hospitals as described in subdivision (a) that apply, and qualify, for grants pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be required to comply with Section 130065 by January 1, 2035.
(f) (1) A general acute care hospital as described in subdivision (a) with a completed assessment pursuant to subdivision (b), with an estimated cost over one million dollars ($1,000,000), or 2 percent of the hospitals hospital’s revenue, whichever is greater, shall not be required
to comply with Section 130065 if the department determines that the cost of design and construction for SPC-4D compliance results in a financial hardship for the hospital and state funds, federal grants, or private foundation funds are not available to assist with the cost of compliance.
(2) The department shall confirm a hospital’s lack of ability to comply with Section 130065 and that the cost of compliance may result in hospital closure, or would substantially impact the accessibility to health care in communities surrounding the hospital.
(g) (1) By January 1, 2030, and at two-year intervals thereafter, each hospital whose compliance with the requirements of Section 130065 is in abeyance according to subdivision (f) shall provide to the department any information
that the department deems necessary to assess whether the hospital continues to meet the criteria of subdivision (f). If a hospital’s circumstances have not significantly altered, the department shall not require an updated SPC-4D assessment. If the department deems a hospital is no longer qualified for an abeyance, it shall inform the hospital in writing, and the hospital shall comply with Section 130065 within five years of the date of notification, or the length of time spent in abeyance, whichever is greater. The department shall have the discretion to extend the amount of time by which a hospital shall comply with Section 130065 for an additional two years based on the estimated cost of compliance.
(2) The department shall post on its internet website a list of hospitals that continue to meet the criteria for an abeyance from the
requirements of Section 130065 pursuant to subdivision (f).