Sen. Cortese's Response to His SB 1300 - Closure of Inpatient Psychiatric and Maternity Ward Services - Being Signed Into Law

SAN JOSE, CA – Senator Dave Cortese issued the following statement regarding his Senate Bill 1300 (SB 1300) being signed into law by Governor Newsom.

“Californians deserve equitable access to health care, including psychiatric and perinatal care. That access erodes each time a hospital shutters its inpatient psychiatric unit or maternity ward services creating ‘care deserts’ in their communities.  Local public health and hospital systems are then left to pick up the tab and make up for the loss in services,” said Senator Cortese, member on the Senate Select Committee on Mental Health and Addiction. “That is why SB 1300 is so important because it will inform public hospital systems on how to best absorb the impact of the closures.”

“Governor Newsom’s support of SB 1300 reflects his deep understanding of the importance of psychiatric care. For individuals living with serious mental illness, this bill is a lifeline, providing stability and security for both patients and their families,” said Jessica Cruz, Executive Director for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) California.

“When a local hospital closes their labor and delivery services, families are left with little or no options often with short notice. Since 2012, 46 California hospitals have stopped delivering babies, with the majority stopping just in the last three years. This new law will increase transparency and give these communities more time and information to prepare for these closures, and understand the gaps in care that need to be filled,” said Katie Van Deynze, Policy and Legislative Advocate with Health Access CA. “We thank Senator Cortese for his leadership on this issue, and applaud the Governor for signing the bill into law.”

SB 1300 will require a health facility to provide a 120-day public notice of the elimination of its inpatient psychiatric and perinatal services. The bill increases transparency and accountability by requiring a health facility to provide a justification for its decision to eliminate services and to hold a public hearing on the proposed service closures.

Senator Dave Cortese represents Senate District 15, which encompasses San Jose and much of Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. Visit Senator Cortese’s website: https://sd15.senate.ca.gov

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