Passage of AB 108 Will Support Rural Hospitals

 Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez Applauds Passage of AB 108 to Support Rural Hospitals Across California

SACRAMENTO — The California State Legislature ono Thursday, May 7, passed AB 108, a budget measure providing up to $25 million in emergency grant funding to financially distressed rural hospitals at risk of closure across the state.

Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez, R-Indio, voted in support of the measure, highlighting the importance of protecting access to healthcare in rural communities like Blythe and Imperial County.

The funding is intended to provide temporary relief for struggling hospitals, including facilities such as Palo Verde Hospital and the Imperial Valley Healthcare District, helping ensure critical healthcare services remain available for residents in underserved regions of California.

“Today, the Legislature took an important step forward by passing AB 108 to help keep financially distressed hospitals open across California,” said Assemblyman Gonzalez. “Palo Verde Hospital, Imperial Valley Healthcare District, and rural hospitals across our region and state deserve this support because they are lifelines for the communities they serve. Quite frankly, if a hospital is in the position where they have to request this funding just to keep their doors open, they deserve our help. Rural families should not have to worry about whether emergency care will still exist in their community tomorrow.”

Under the measure, hospitals seeking assistance must meet strict eligibility requirements, including demonstrating severe financial distress, serving a high percentage of government-insured and uninsured patients, and exhausting other financial options before applying for assistance.

Gonzalez also emphasized that ensuring healthcare access in rural California should not be viewed through a partisan lens.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Gonzalez added. “Every Californian deserves access to quality healthcare close to home regardless of where they live. We cannot allow another rural hospital to close and leave our communities without options.”

Gonzalez represents Imperial County and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino County in the California Legislature. District 36 includes Anza, Blythe, Brawley, Calexico, Coachella, El Centro, Hemet, Holtville, Imperial, Indio, Mecca, Salton City, Thermal, Westmorland, Winchester, and Winterhaven.