Current Status of Crisis Care Continuum
Based on the severity of the surge and on facility data, California has the working understanding that all hospitals are currently implementing some elements of contingency care, as of late December. Technical assistance is being provided by the State to hospitals at the individual and regional level, in partnership with County leaders. If a hospital does enter crisis care mode, it is required to notify the State and local public health jurisdiction, and the local public health jurisdiction will inform the public.
As a hospital approaches or enters crisis care, there are many ways a county and the state get notice: request for additional staffing, request for mutual aid, notice per an All Facilities Letter, and site visits. The response is to immediately mobilize regional and state resources to prevent crisis care or return the hospital to contingency care. Counties with hospitals nearer the crisis care end of continuum include: Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino.
Hospital Surge Order
As of February 5, 2021, CDPH rescinded its Hospital Surge Public Health Order. The Hospital Surge Order was put into place on January 5, 2021, as an emergency measure to address an urgent statewide crisis in ICU capacity that was caused by unprecedented exponential community transmission combined with scarce hospital resources in equipment, space, and staffing. The Order served to spread the COVID burden across hospitals and ensure that all patients were receiving a high quality of care to prevent loss of life. Current data reflecting declining cases, hospitalizations, and transmission rates indicates the burden on hospitals has been decreased, thus the Order was rescinded.
Learn More
Policy Guidance
Training Resources for Health Care Workforce