Title
Receive annual update on the status of compliance with the Structural Performance Category ratings of the buildings on the Natividad Medical Center campus, and on the services provided in each building, as required by Assembly Bill (AB) 1882 (Chapter 584), Statutes of 2022 until compliance with the seismic safety standards outlined in the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983 is achieved.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive annual update on the status of compliance with the Structural Performance Category ratings of the buildings on the Natividad Medical Center campus, and on the services provided in each building, as required by Assembly Bill (AB) 1882 (Chapter 584), Statutes of 2022 until compliance with the seismic safety standards outlined in the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983 is achieved.
SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION
The Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act (HFSSA) of 1983 established a program of seismic safety building standards. The act requires an owner of a general acute care inpatient hospital, no later than January 1, 2030, to either demolish, replace, or change to nonacute care use all hospital buildings not in substantial compliance with the regulations and standards developed pursuant to the act, or seismically retrofit all acute care inpatient hospital buildings so that they are in substantial compliance with those regulations and standards.
AB 1882 seeks to raise awareness of a general acute care hospital’s compliance with the seismic safety regulations or standards outlined in the Alfred E Alquist (HFSSA) through public notices, hospital campus postings, Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) website, and annual status updates until compliance is achieved. This bill also requires an annual status update report on the Structural Performance Category ratings and Nonstructural Performance Category ratings of the buildings and the services provided in each hospital building on the hospital campus until compliance is achieved. All general acute care hospital buildings are assigned a Structural Performance Category (SPC), which measures the probable seismic performance of building structural systems. Building structural systems include beams, columns, shear walls, slabs, and foundations. Hospitals must achieve an SPC 3 or greater to meet the SPC requirements. Each building is also assigned a Nonstructural Performance Category (NPC) based on the degree of anchorage and bracing of selected nonstructural elements and systems. NPC compliance includes architectural, mechanical, electrical, and hospital equipment, associated conduits, ductwork, piping, and machinery. Hospitals must achieve an NPC 5 to meet the NPC requirements. The bill also requires notifying patients and the public that the hospital is not in compliance with seismic safety regulations and standards if the building is not at an SPC 3 or greater and an NPC 5.
NMC operates eight acute care buildings that must comply with SPC and NPC requirements. While seven of these buildings currently meet SPC standards, none meet NPC requirements. NMC is working closely with the architectural firm Hamelton Green and Abrams (HGA) and their engineering consultants to develop plans and construction documents to either bring the buildings into compliance or remove non-compliant buildings from HCAI's jurisdiction before the 2030 deadline. HGA has completed a seismic master plan that outlines three key requirements to achieve NPC-5 compliance: (1) bracing end-of-line fire sprinklers in the acute care portion of the facility, (2) separating Building 600A from 600B, which includes constructing a compliant corridor to Building 940, and (3) upgrading NMC's infrastructure to support 72 hours of emergency operation. The Services Report was submitted to HCAI on December 13, 2024, and the Hospital Signage Report was submitted on November 26, 2024. Staff will provide updates on this process annually. A detailed report on the Structural Performance Category (SPC), Nonstructural Performance Category (NPC), and the services provided for each affected building is included in the attachment.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
This report has been supported by the Finance Committee and NMC’s Board of Trustees on January 10, 2025
FINANCING:
The design fee of $200,000 was approved in the Fiscal Year 2022/2023, with an additional $100,000 allocated in the FY2024/2025 Adopted Budget for sprinkler bracing. Design and construction costs will be covered in future fiscal years’ budgets, and there will be no impact to the general fund.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
By complying with the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983 Natividad Medical Center will be able to continue to provide health and quality of life for Monterey County residents and their families.
X Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Brian Griffin, Project Manager. (831) 783-2605
Approved by: Dr. Charles R. Harris, Chief Executive Officer, (831) 783.2551
Attachments: Attachment A - Structural Performance Category and Services report
Attachment B - Facility Map - Public Notices