About the John C. Fremont Healthcare District
The John C. Fremont Healthcare District was established in 1947 and has been providing healthcare services to the residents of Mariposa County since 1951 when the current hospital opened. The District also operates three clinics: the Fremont Family Physicians clinic and Fremont Specialty Physicians clinic in Mariposa, and the Northside clinic in Greeley Hill. The hospital’s Emergency Department treated over 7,000 patients last year, with over 300 of those being transported via the air ambulance helicopter for additional treatment elsewhere.
More details about the District and its healthcare services are available on the web at About Us (JCF-Hospital.com).
Because the hospital does not comply with California’s seismic safety standards, the District sought and was granted an extension in 2004 [Reference 1: Extension March 16, 2004]. The original extension has since been renewed, and the District was required to file a separate attestation of noncompliance in 2020 [Reference 2: Attestation May 16, 2020].
The state of California classifies John C. Fremont Hospital as meeting a Structural Performance Category (SPC) Rating of 2, the second lowest rating. SPC2 is defined as “Buildings in compliance with the pre-1973 California Building Standards Code or other applicable standards, but not in compliance with the structural provisions of the Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act. These buildings do not significantly jeopardize life, but may not be repairable or functional following strong ground motion. These buildings must be brought into compliance with the structural provisions of the Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act, its regulations or its retrofit provisions by January 1, 2030, or be removed from acute care service.”
An excerpt from a recent SPC/NPC Ratings of Acute Care Hospital Buildings report [Reference 3] shows John C. Fremont Hospital with an SPC 2 rating, and an excerpt from a recent Extensions for Hospital Buildings report [Reference 4] shows ours being valid until 01/01/2030.
More information is available from California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) on the web at OSHPD: Seismic Compliance and Safety.