Title
Amending the 2021 State Legislative Agenda to include support for Regions Hospital’s request for legislative action to approve 45 additional bed licenses to support community needs in the East Metro.
Body
Whereas, the Council adopted the 2021 Legislative Agenda in RES 21-139 on January 20, 2021; and
Whereas, Saint Paul Administrative Code Section 45.02 provides that the Legislative Agenda can be amended by Resolution; and
Whereas, in the 2018 legislative session, Regions Hospital sought approval for 100 new bed licenses and ultimately received an authorization to increase total bed licenses by 55, 15 of which were to be dedicated to inpatient mental health; and
Whereas, at that time, Regions believed that an additional 55 beds would be enough to meet community needs for at least the next 5-10 years, but Regions has experienced greater than expected demand for services and remains at higher than optimal occupancy levels for a level 1 trauma hospital; and
Whereas, Regions is now requesting an additional 45 bed licenses to address increased need, such request also includes a commitment by Regions to add 20 new inpatient mental health beds in 2021; and
Whereas, Regions Hospital is unique among large Minnesota hospitals in terms of using nearly all of its bed license capacity, and Regions needs legislative approval to add additional bed licenses; and
Whereas, as the only Level 1 Trauma Center for the East Metro, it is critical that Regions Hospital have sufficient bed capacity so that patients in need are not turned away or delayed; and
Whereas, Regions Hospital is the primary safe-net hospital and top charity care provider for the east metro and Ramsey County which is the most densely populated and racially diverse county in Minnesota with total patient population having approximately 30% people of color; and
Whereas, charity care is given based on financial need, and approximately 50% of Regions patients receiving charity care support are patients of color; if Regions is unable to expand capacity to meet the needs of its growing and aging community, increased emergency room wait times and diversions will be a likely result and communities of color are likely to be disproportionately impacted; now, therefore be it
Resolved, that the City of Saint Paul, by passage of this City Council resolution amends the 2021 Legislative Agenda to support for Regions Hospital’s request for legislative action to approve 45 additional bed licenses to support community needs in the East Metro, including the need for additional beds to support inpatient mental health, and authorizes city representatives to work with members of the legislature and other interested parties to support this legislation.