Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. (SB 338) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative December 31, 2030, pursuant to Section 150706.
There is the Virtual Health Hub for Rural Communities Pilot Program.
Division 118.5 - VIRTUAL HEALTH HUB FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES PILOT PROGRAM
California Health and Safety Code — §§ 150700-150706
Sections (8)
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. (SB 338) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative December 31, 2030, pursuant to Section 150706.
The following definitions shall apply to this division:
(a)“Department” means the State Department of Public Health.
(b)“Program” means the Virtual Health Hub for Rural Communities Pilot Program established by this division.
(c)“Virtual health hub” means a vehicle or portable facility that is equipped with, at a minimum, computers, Wi-Fi, cubicles for virtual visits, and exam rooms for telemedicine.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. (SB 338) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative December 31, 2030, pursuant to Section 150706.
(a)The department shall administer the Virtual Health Hub Fund to expand access to health services for farmworkers in rural communities by providing virtual connections to health care providers, mental health services, and educational services to help improve health outcomes in underserved communities.
(b)The department shall distribute grants as described in Section 150704. The department shall provide technical assistance to the grant recipients with regard to any licensing or reporting requirements necessary to fulfill the obligations under Section 150705.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. (SB 338) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative December 31, 2030, pursuant to Section 150706.
(a)The Virtual Health Hub Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury.
(b)The department is authorized to administer this division with funding other than General Fund moneys, including gifts, donations, bequests, or grants of funds from private sources and public agencies, designated for any of the purposes of this division and deposited in the Virtual Health Hub Fund.
(c)This division shall be implemented only if all of the following conditions are met:
(1)No General Fund moneys are used for this division.
(2)The balance of the fund meets or
exceeds two million dollars ($2,000,000).
(3)The department posts a notice to its internet website stating the minimum fund balance has been met.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. (SB 338) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative December 31, 2030, pursuant to Section 150706.
(a)The department shall award grants to partnerships of two separate community-based organizations to establish and deploy virtual health hubs. However, the department may award both components of a virtual health hub to a single community-based organization if it determines that doing so is necessary to ensure program effectiveness, administrative efficiency, or adequate service coverage in a particular community or region.
(b)Grant recipients shall deploy virtual health hubs in two rural communities based on farmworker population and access to health care.
(c)The grant recipients shall make space available in or around virtual health hubs that can be used for visits by
professionals, including, but not limited to, medical teams, educators, and volunteers, who bring additional programming onsite to rural farms.
(d)The grant recipients shall report the information outlined in subdivision (b) of Section 150705 to the department upon request and in the manner prescribed by the department.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. (SB 338) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative December 31, 2030, pursuant to Section 150706.
(a)In evaluating grant proposals pursuant to this division, the department shall give priority to community-based organizations that meet one or more of the following criteria:
(1)Provide farmworker communities with mental health support, cultural resources, educational tools, advocacy, immigration litigation support, food, or basic necessities.
(2)A history of serving communities that are medically underserved or face significant barriers to accessing health care, including, but not limited to, low-income populations, rural communities, immigrants, individuals with limited English proficiency, or communities of color.
(3)Provide a benefit to farmworker communities in underserved areas as defined in Section 14076 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to medically underserved populations determined under Sections 39711 and 39713, and vulnerable communities as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 71340 of the Public Resources Code.
(4)Are culturally and linguistically aligned with the populations served, including having multilingual staff, culturally competent service delivery models, or representation from the target community within leadership or governance structures.
(5)Have existing infrastructure, or a clearly defined plan to offer or facilitate virtual or telehealth services, including access to private consultation space, digital equipment, or partnerships with licensed providers.
(6)Have the capacity and
willingness to collect and report deidentified, aggregate data as required by the department, including, but not limited to, age ranges, income brackets, race or ethnicity, language, and service type.
(7)Have demonstrated collaboration with local clinics, schools, hospitals, tribal health providers, or other public or private health entities to ensure effective referral systems and service integration.
(8)Operate or have operated within a health professional shortage area, medically underserved area, or other area designated by the department as high need.
(b)The department may assign a weighted scoring system to these criteria. To ensure transparency and equity in funding decisions, the department shall make public any application rubric or review process used to evaluate
proposals.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. (SB 338) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative December 31, 2030, pursuant to Section 150706.
(a)Two years after the date the department posts to their internet website that the minimum fund requirement for program operation has been met pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 150703, the department shall submit a report regarding the program to the Legislature.
(b)The report shall include information provided to the department by the grant recipients, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1)Age ranges of the people served.
(2)Household income brackets of the people served.
(3)Self-reported race and ethnicity of the people
served, when available.
(4)Primary language spoken at home of the people served.
(5)ZIP Code or general geographic area served.
(6)Insurance status of the people served, including whether they have private insurance, are uninsured, or are covered by the Medi-Cal program.
(7)Number of individuals served, not including repeat users.
(8)Type of health services accessed, including, but not limited to, preventative, behavioral, and maternal health.
(9)General barriers to care, as identified by participants.
(c)The information shall contain only deidentified
information and shall be reported only in aggregate form to ensure compliance with applicable privacy laws, including the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA).
(d)The department shall post the final report to its internet website.
(e)A report to be submitted pursuant to this section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. (SB 338) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative December 31, 2030, by its own provisions. Note: Inoperative provisions affect Division 118.5, commencing with Section 150700.
Unless subsequent legislation supersedes or modifies this division to extend the program, this division shall become inoperative if the fund balance has not been met by December 31, 2030.