The California Department of Public Health has delayed implementation of emergency staffing regulations for psychiatric hospitals, originally slated for Jan. 31, following pushback from the public and hospitals, according to a Jan. 26 letter summary.
The department now expects to adopt staffing regulations by June 1 and has advised psychiatric hospitals to continue recruiting staff in preparation for nurse-to-patient ratios, which are expected to remain the same as those stated in the draft.
Hospitals — which had less than two weeks to recruit, hire and train new staff — that could not meet capacity requirements would have left a total of 800 psychiatric beds unavailable, equating to 16,000 patients losing access annually, according to a Jan. 20 California Hospital Association news release criticizing the proposal that was shared with Becker’s.
“In a proposal that is as baffling as it is irresponsible, new regulations … will prevent Californians from getting the mental health care they desperately need,” the association added. The association also cautioned the rule could lead to delays to emergency care.
The staffing requirements were prompted by an investigative series into widespread dysfunction, abuse and understaffing at California behavioral health hospitals published by the San Francisco Chronicle.
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