Renewal by Earthquake: Designing 21st Century Hospitals in Response to California's Seismic Safety Legislation

Publication Date: March 2004

Publisher: California HealthCare Foundation

Author(s): Wanda J. Jones

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Coverage: California

Abstract:

This report examines the difficulties California hospitals face in meeting the seismic safety standards mandated by the 1994 hospital retrofit law (SB 1953) and proposes how various stakeholders can best respond to the challenge of compliance. The report includes discussion of:

*The choices hospitals may confront, including closure, minor and major retrofits, partial and full replacement, and relocation; *The history of California's health care system; *The factors that encourage short-sighted hospital design decisions and architectural considerations; *The long-term effects of today's decisions and their impact on the community; and *Strategies that hospitals can use to avoid design obsolescence and add value to their facilities.

In addition, the report contains two appendices that offer public policy recommendations and review the roles and responsibilities that stakeholders have in hospital design.