Latest news with #SB660
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital safety bollard bill, sparked by KXAN, clears Senate
This story is part of KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital's emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop crashes from happening. AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill to require crash-rated safety bollards at hospitals across the state is one step closer to becoming law after clearing the Senate Wednesday in a vote of 23-7. The security step is a direct response to KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigations following a deadly crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center last year. 'In recent history, reports of crashes at hospitals or emergency room entrances have surged members,' Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, who filed the bill following KXAN's investigation, told lawmakers on Tuesday during the bill's second reading. 'This issue has not only intensified in Texas but also has been reported across the United States, resulting in numerous tragedies.' Last month, KXAN investigative reporter Matt Grant was invited to testify in front of a Senate panel about our own data analysis, which found hundreds of crashes at medical sites across the country resulting in at least 20 deaths over the past decade — a startling statistic that West highlighted. EXPLORE: Preventing Disaster investigation uncovers hundreds of crashes nationwide 'According to media and official reports in the United States, there have been over 400 crashes into medical facilities in the last decade,' he said, referencing KXAN's findings. 'Additionally, in the state of Texas, alone, there have been more than 100 incidents since 2014.' In response to industry concerns raised about Senate Bill 660, West filed a committee substitute that exempts hospitals in rural areas with a population of less than 68,000 people. Hospitals that already have bollards 'or similar type of effective device' are also exempt. The Texas Hospital Association opposes the safety step, calling it an unfunded mandate that unfairly targets medical facilities. Former Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who initiated a city ordinance requiring crash-rated bollards at new hospitals, urgent care clinics and standalone emergency rooms — which unanimously passed and took effect in December — was also invited to testify in March. She told lawmakers expanding Austin's safety measure statewide will save lives. 'I'm proud that Austin was able to lead the way on this critical safety issue, and I'm grateful to see the Senate pass SB 660 today,' Kelly told KXAN Wednesday. 'After meeting with KXAN and the Bernard family affected by the crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center, I knew we had to act.' One of the votes against the measure came from Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood. Last month, he called KXAN's findings a 'major problem' and said he supported the bill's goal. At the time, Hall told us if hospitals 'aren't going to' install bollards, 'we in the legislature have a responsibility to protect the people of Texas.' 'Senator Hall does support the goal and feels that Hospitals should be proactive in this endeavor,' his chief of staff told KXAN in an email Wednesday after the Senate vote. 'He just could not get to the point to require it of them.' The bill now goes to the House where it awaits a committee assignment. A companion House bill, HB 5392, a companion bill, was referred to that chamber's Public Health Committee this week and awaits a hearing. 'I hope the House will also pass this bill expediently so Texas can protect patients, families and healthcare workers at emergency rooms across Texas,' Kelly said. 'This is about saving lives and mitigating disaster before tragedy strikes, not partisan politics.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas bill for hospital safety barriers clears critical vote
The Brief Legislation was passed requiring the installation of safety barriers at the entrances to most hospitals in Texas This comes after a car crashed into a North Austin hospital, killing the driver and injuring several others If the legislation clears the House, and is later signed by the Governor, hospitals without the safety systems need to have them in place by January 2026 AUSTIN, Texas - A deadly crash into an Austin hospital in 2024 brought about action at the Texas Capitol. Legislation was passed requiring the installation of safety barriers at the entrances to most hospitals in Texas. The backstory At the entrance of St. Davids North Medical Center security barriers known as bollards are in place. They were not there back in February 2024. A car smashed through the entrance, killing the driver and injuring several people at St. David's. The night of the incident, FOX 7 spoke to witnesses who saw the sedan break through the glass doors at high speed. "It was such an intense experience, and it'll take a while to get the sounds of everyone's screams off my head," said Michelle Cruz when interviewed in 2024. What they're saying On Tuesday in the Texas Senate, Dallas Democrat Royce West spoke about the Austin crash and others like it. "There have been over 400 crashes into medical facilities within the last decade. And 22 of those have resulted in fatalities," said Senator West during the Floor Discussion. SB 660 filed by West requires hospitals to install bollards or other similar safety barriers. They are to be located at emergency room entrances that are close to vehicle traffic. "I was shocked that we didn't have [barriers] at hospitals. To the hospital's credit, some of them already have safety mechanisms in place," said Sen. West. West put in an exemption to address cost concerns. The opt-out is for hospitals in rural counties with populations of less than 68,000 people, and for hospitals designated as critical Medicare Medicaid access facilities. West said the barriers should be a consideration, beyond hospitals. "I think it is a wake-up call to make certain that all the businesses that we have, that they kind of look at the safety of the security of their particular buildings. And if you have some areas that are unsafe, where we have a lot of customers and patients come in, that you need to kind of look at it to make sure that those people are secure," said Sen. West. What's next Back in June, the Austin City Council passed a hospital safety barrier ordinance. It requires crash-tested bollards at all new hospitals that are built in Austin. The bill passed its second reading vote 21 to 9. If the legislation clears the House, and is later signed by the Governor, hospitals without the safety systems need to have them in place by January 2026. The Source Information from a Texas legislative session hearing
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital safety bill gets bipartisan support a year after deadly St. David's crash
This story is part of KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital's emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop crashes from happening. AUSTIN (KXAN) – More than a year after a drunk driver slammed into St. David's North Austin Medical Center, killing herself and seriously injuring five others, there's now growing, bipartisan support for a bill – sparked by a series of KXAN investigations – aimed at preventing other disasters across the state. 'It's a common sense bill,' said State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, after a recent committee hearing at the Capitol. His bill, SB 660, seeks to expand what the Austin City Council unanimously approved in December – also in response to KXAN's investigation. If passed, it would require the installation of crash-tested security barriers, called bollards, at most hospital entrances statewide. A KXAN investigation found, in the past decade, more than 400 incidents of vehicles crashing into, or at, medical centers nationwide. 'How much of an influence did our reporting, and the Bernard family's story, influence your decision to file that bill?' asked KXAN investigative reporter Matt Grant. 'Very much. It really did,' West said. 'You end up being, I guess you could say, vessels of information for us to look at legislation.' West told KXAN his bill will save lives. 'I would be very surprised if it didn't pass,' he said. St. David's is currently facing a $1 million lawsuit from the Bernard family, who were badly hurt in last year's crash. The hospital system hasn't commented on its bollards and said it doesn't comment on litigation or pending legislation. St. David's, however, previously told KXAN it would comply with any new legal or regulatory requirements that are passed. West's bill has already been referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, chairs that committee and confirmed to KXAN that 'it will definitely get a hearing.' 'There's another common sense approach,' she said of the bollard measure. 'You would think that many of our hospitals are doing this.' Kolkhorst said she wants to work with West and hospital groups to 'make sure we have these common sense safety standards out there.' 'We talk a lot about patient safety, you certainly don't want to have to think about walking out of an ER, or being close to an ER, and having someone crash through it,' she said. 'So, I'm very optimistic that working with our hospitals we can come up with a very good bill.' KXAN also took our findings to State Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood. Hall sits on the committee and has worked on patient safety legislation in the past that was also sparked by a KXAN investigation. 'It would be different if there was just an isolated incident someplace that this happened,' Hall said. EXPLORE: KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation that led to bill, new Austin law 'But, as you pointed out,' he added, 'there are enough of them now to say this is a major problem.' Dr. Ray Callas is president of the Texas Medical Association, which advocates for 60,000 Texas physicians and medical students. He didn't know the problem was so broad – until KXAN told him. 'I am literally in shock,' Callas said from the hospital where he works, when told about the frequency of incidents across the country. 'If we can even save one life, and we can make sure it's safer for not only the people that are going to the hospitals, like our patients, but also all employees,' he said, 'I think it's a good thing to be doing.' While TMA doesn't have a bollard policy, or an official position on this legislation, Callas said West is 'onto something' and his proposal is 'hitting the nail on the head.' As a board certified anesthesiologist in Beaumont for more than 20 years, he's seen a safety approach at hospitals that isn't standardized. 'We don't have any bollards at our hospitals,' he said. 'But, whenever I travel over the state, I see some with bollards, some without.' Citing safety concerns, and the recent terror attack in New Orleans, Callas said lawmakers 'need to look into' this safety fix. 'I would definitely be in support of anything that will improve patient safety,' Callas said. 'And physician safety and hospital safety for all Texans.' WATCH: Texas-tested security barriers could prevent ER crash disaster Similarly, the Texas Nurses Association told KXAN elected officials should consider 'all options' to create a 'safe environment' patients and staff. 'The safety of nurses and hospital staff should be the highest priority of any healthcare organization,' the TNA said in a statement Wednesday. 'Any and all protections should be considered to ensure our healthcare providers can come to work with confidence that they are protected and working in a safe environment.' 'As our state legislators explore every possible safety measure,' the organization added, 'TNA will continue to follow this issue.' Not everyone is on board with the proposal. In a blog post at the start of the legislative session, the head of the Texas Hospital Association – which advocates for more than 85% of the state's acute care hospitals – called the bollard bill a 'one-size-fits-all' mandate and a 'misguided idea.' '[A] mandate for bollards is an unreasonable administrative cost burden that could impact access to care – and the cost of care – for many Texans,' THA CEO John Hawkins wrote in a blog post on the organization's website titled, 'Bollard Mandates for Hospitals Would Be a Barrier to Care.' 'It's crucial that hospitals be allowed to independently assess safety measures based on the needs of their communities,' Hawkins added. In January, an agency spokesperson echoed those sentiments in a statement to KXAN, pushing back on the proposal by arguing hospitals are one of the 'most regulated industries in the country' already following hundreds of state and federal safety standards. 'We have not seen any national studies or science indicating bollards are one of the most pressing, critical components to hospital safety,' said THA spokesperson Carrie Williams. 'In a state as large and diverse as Texas, its — its family of hospital is equally varied,' Williams added. 'The bollard decision is best left to individual hospitals to evaluate, as opposed to a blanket statewide regulation that doesn't account for the individuality of hospitals and their communities.' Safety is 'of paramount importance to Texas hospitals,' Williams said. But, absent any local, state, or federal requirements, our investigation found a patchwork system where some hospitals don't have bollards – or, like St. David's North Austin Medical Center, only installed them after a tragedy. 'And, if they aren't going to do it,' Hall warned from his Capitol office, 'then we in the legislature have a responsibility to protect the people of Texans.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
