- centerforhealthreporting.org/project/fault-lines-ifwhen-big-one-hits-hospitals-won’t-be-ready
- centerforhealthreporting.org/flash/main.html
- centerforhealthreporting.org/blog/hospitals-non-structural-quake-mandate-primer
- centerforhealthreporting.org/blog/will-my-local-hospital-operate-after-earthquake
Provide names of other journalists involved.
Deborah Schoch, CHCF Center for Health Reporting
Andrew Edwards, San Bernardino Sun
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Oct. 2 and Oct. 16, 2011
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
When the March 2011 Japan earthquake focused new attention on seismic dangers, we wondered how well California’s hospitals are preparing for what residents here call “The Big One.” We decided to focus on hospitals closest to the southern San Andreas Fault, pinpointed by scientists as most dangerous fault area in the state, with a 59 percent chance of at least one catastrophic quake in the next 30 years. We found that more than 40 buildings at 10 hospitals close to that fault were rated by the state as “highly collapsible.” Most hospitals are planning fixes, but state records show that most still won’t be able to function after a major quake,. What did that mean for local residents? To find out, we partnered with the San Bernardino Sun to produce two main articles, 13 sidebars and a large interactive graphic. Three sister Media News papers ran the series, and three more, close to the San Andreas Fault in Los Angeles County, localized the series for their readers. It reported that nearly all area hospitals are far behind schedule in making required fixes. A 1994 state law required that all high-risk hospital buildings be upgraded by 2008. But the state Legislature, bowing to industry concern, has pushed back that deadline to 2013, 2015, even 2020. Experts just back from Japan and other earthquake sites told us about an important new finding. Even if a hospital’s walls remain standing, it can be shut down by “internal damage”such broken pipes, shorted wires. Yet state regulators are not focusing on this problem, and hospital officials say they don’t have the money to fix it. We zoomed in problems on 10 at-risk hospitals, including the region’s only Level I trauma center, with its ER in a tall building rated highly collapsible. It is asking the state for a new 2020 deadline. Another hospital, with eight of 13 buildings at high risk, has spent six years filing appeals rather than making fixes. Our series provided readers with all-new information about the damage a major quake could inflict on local medical care. We hope it will spur hospitals to make fixes, and we will check back to see if that happens.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
We made extensive use of records on the website of the state Office of State Health Planning and Development. We filed a state Public Records Act request for files for 10 key hospitals. Those files are only available on paper at the agency’s Sacramento HQ, so a reporter flew there to read them and copy key documents. Those files gave details of hospitals’ seismic safety work.
Explain types of human sources used.
–Staff at OSHPD and USGS –Scientists, seismic engineers and architects, in public and private sectors. –Hospital trade groups and nurses unions. –Staff at local hospitals and emergency agencies. –State legislators and staffs
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
California journalists can find a wealth of hospital records on the OSHPD website. They can be highly technical, but agency staff can help. If you can get to Sacramento, the files there are a treasure trove. Hospital officials may be reticent to talk. Once we had their OSHPD records in hand, they were more likely to talk with us. The state Hospital Assn. provided insight on the financial challenges of seismic upgrades. This is not just a California story. Many regions have active faults, as some East Coast states were reminded last year. It might be worthwhile to see if hospitals in Virginia and nearby are now looking into seismic safety issues.