Seismic Safety : Will California¿s Hospitals Be Ready for the Next Big Quake?

For 33 years, Calif. has explored options to mitigate the seismic vulnerability of its hospital buildings. The San Fernando Valley earthquake in 1971, which destroyed a number of hospitals, prompted the Calif. legis. to pass an act mandating that all new hospital construction meet stringent seismic safety require. In 1994, after the Northridge earthquake severely damaged a number of hospitals, the legis. passed Senate Bill 1953 which put hospitals on a firm schedule for meeting seismic safety goals. This report looks at the progress Calif. hospitals have made toward complying with SB 1953; the challenges they face in achieving compliance, incl. the dramatic rise in construction costs, & the potential of such costs on hospitals, Illustrations.Leonard, Barry is the author of 'Seismic Safety : Will California¿s Hospitals Be Ready for the Next Big Quake?', published 2007 under ISBN 9781422312865 and ISBN 1422312860.