HCAI details response to Southern California wildfires, tracking evacuated nursing homes and federal prescription aid

A HCAI staff member opened the advisory committee meeting by describing actions the agency and state partners have taken in response to the Southern California wildfires, including inspections of long-term care facilities and steps to get medications and behavioral-health supports to affected residents. The staff member said HCAI was tracking 11 skilled-nursing facilities that had to evacuate; “1 was destroyed completely, another suffered severe damage,” and field teams are inspecting facilities before they are repopulated.

The staff member told the advisory committee that general acute hospitals in the fire area “defended in place” and did not require evacuation, while clinics, residential treatment programs, congregate living facilities, child-care centers and schools were among other locally impacted sites. The presentation emphasized the need for equitable recovery supports, noting historic displacement in some neighborhoods: “the Eaton Fire destroyed a historic black neighborhood in Altadena,” the staff member said, and added that language access and services for older adults and people with disabilities must be prioritized.

On access to medications, the staff member said Medi-Cal had simplified enrollment and renewal procedures “to get Medi-Cal members their prescription drugs and medical equipment,” and that the Department of Managed Health Care directed plans to assist impacted members in accessing services and published a resource guide. The speaker also said California received federal approval for an emergency prescription assistance program to help people in federally declared disaster areas who lack insurance obtain prescription drugs, equipment and vaccinations. HCAI staff pointed participants to a state resource page created for the fires (www.ca.gov/lafires) and said additional resources are being coordinated across state, local and federal partners.

Committee members and public commenters also raised operational issues during public comment and committee discussion: limited supply and distribution of respirators in evacuation centers; loss of durable medical equipment such as power wheelchairs and ways to replace them; and difficulty coordinating supplies across evacuation centers. Several committee members, including clinicians and county representatives, described ongoing local efforts to consolidate resources for affected medical practices and clinicians and urged continued attention to the needs of practice staff who were displaced or could not work because of closures.

The presentation concluded with reminders of near-term work at HCAI; staff said they are balancing disaster response with the agency’s other deadlines, including regulatory and data work continuing this spring.