After quakes, hospitals ponder safety

The series of earthquakes which hit California this week are a reminder of why hospitals need special retrofitting rules, the San Diego Union Tribune reports. Nearly 40 percent of California's hospital buildings need upgrades to meet new construction regulations, at a total cost estimated to be $41 billion. The California Hospital Association has sponsored a bill which would move a retrofitting deadline back to the year 2020. Critics are concerned about what could happen if a major quake struck an unprepared hospital and say hospitals are compromising safety in their search to cut costs.

- see this story from the San Diego Union Tribune