(a) Pursuant to this chapter, the board of supervisors may establish by ordinance the Kern County Hospital Authority, which shall be a public agency that is a local unit of government separate and apart from the county and any other public entity for all purposes. The authority established pursuant to this chapter shall file the statement required by Section 53051 of the Government Code, and is a public entity for purposes of Division 3.6 (commencing with Section 810) of Title 1 of the Government Code. (b) The purpose of the authority shall be to do all of the following: (1) Provide management, administration, and other controls consistent with this chapter as needed to operate the medical center and maintain its status as a designated public hospital, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 14166.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and for the operation of additional programs, clinics and other facilities, care organizations, health care service and physician practice plans, and delivery systems that may be affiliated or consolidated with the medical center, to ensure the viability of the health care safety net in the county in a manner consistent with the countyâs requirements under Section 17000 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (2) Provide management, administration, and other controls consistent with this chapter to negotiate and enter into contracts to provide or arrange, or provide directly, on a fee-for-service, capitated, or other basis, health care services to individuals including, but not limited to, those covered under Subchapters XVIII (commencing with Section 1395), XIX (commencing with Section 1396), and XXI (commencing with Section 1397aa) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code, those entitled to coverage under private group coverage, private individual coverage, including without limitation, coverage through Covered California, other publicly supported programs, those employed by public agencies or private businesses, and uninsured or indigent individuals. (c) Subject to the requirements of this chapter, the authority shall have, and be charged with, authority for the maintenance, operation, management, control, ownership, or lease of the medical center and other health-related resources, as provided by the enabling ordinance. The State Department of Health Care Services shall take all necessary steps to ensure all of the following: (1) The authority has all of the licenses, permits, and approvals needed to operate the medical center. (2) The medical center continues its status as a designated public hospital to at least the same extent as it would be designated in the absence of its transfer to the authority pursuant to this chapter. (3) The authority may participate as a contributing public agency for all of the purposes specified in Section 433.51 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, to the extent permitted by federal law. (d) The board of supervisors, in the enabling ordinance, shall establish the terms and conditions of the transfer to the authority from the county, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (1) Any transfer of real and personal property, assets, and liabilities, including, but not limited to, liabilities of the medical center determined and assigned by the county for county funds previously advanced, but not repaid or otherwise recovered, to fund the operations of the medical center. (2) Transfer of employees, including any necessary personnel transition plan, as specified in Section 101853.1, allocation of credit for funded pension assets and responsibility for any unfunded pension liabilities under the Kern County Employeesâ Retirement Association, as specified in paragraph (7) of subdivision (g) of Section 101853.1, or other retirement plans, and funding of the accrued benefits of employees of the authority in the event of withdrawal from the plan or dissolution of the authority. Any allocation of credit for funded pension assets and resp
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