In response to the devastating wildfires in Southern California, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is implementing a series of measures to support affected residents. These efforts, announced as part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s State of Emergency declaration, aim to ease the recovery process by providing expanded healthcare services, waiving fees for vital document replacement, and ensuring continued support for vulnerable populations.
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To expedite healthcare services, CDPH has granted blanket approval for hospitals and care facilities in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties to expand bed capacity and services. This includes utilizing spaces not traditionally used for patient rooms.
The department is also working with healthcare facilities to ensure the safe transfer and care of individuals in long-term care facilities. Over 130 residents have already been transferred to safety, and CDPH continues to assess the needs of 120 facilities across the region. CDPH is guiding facilities with All Facilities Letters on submitting additional waiver requests. These waivers help facilities that experience fire and windstorm capacity surges, as well as those with staffing shortages due to impacted personnel.
Recognizing the importance of vital documents in the recovery process, CDPH is waiving all fees for the replacement of birth, death, marriage, and dissolution of marriage certificates for those who lost them in the fires. CDPH can replace documents in as few as two to three days. CDPH is expanding on-site services at Disaster Recovery Centers and Local Assistance Centers across Southern California.
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This text was edited with the assistance of an AI tool, and has been reviewed and edited for accuracy and clarity by India Currents.