SACRAMENTO — A plan to establish a temporary emergency stabilization unit in Patterson advanced Tuesday as the California Senate Health Committee approved Assembly Bill 2282 on a 6‑1 vote, moving the proposal closer to becoming law.

The bill, authored by Assemblymember Juan Alanis, R‑Modesto, would authorize a publicly owned and operated hospital, in partnership with the Del Puerto Health Care District, to open a Regional Emergency Stabilization and Care Unit while the community’s first hospital is planned and built. Patterson, a city of more than 25,000 on the West Side of Stanislaus County, has no emergency department, leaving residents with a 25‑ to 30‑minute ambulance ride to the nearest hospital.

“Today’s vote is a win for the people of Patterson,” Alanis said in a statement. “For too long, this community has lived more than 25 minutes from the nearest emergency room. AB 2282 gives Del Puerto Health Care District the tools to change that, while they finish building a permanent hospital.”

Under the bill, the stabilization unit would operate 24 hours a day and meet full hospital emergency standards, including board‑certified physicians, hospital‑level staffing ratios, on‑site lab and radiology services, and compliance with federal EMTALA requirements. The district’s long‑term plan calls for a permanent hospital expected to open between 2035 and 2040.

Dr. Karin Freese, CEO of the Del Puerto Health Care District, said the committee’s vote marks a major step toward improving access for West Side residents. “We have been planning for this community’s health care future for years, and today’s vote brings us one step closer to improving local access to emergency stabilization services,” Freese said.

Local support for the bill includes health care, business, labor and education groups. Patterson Fire Chief Jeff Hakola said the distance to emergency care remains a critical challenge for first responders. “When minutes matter, having qualified emergency care close to home is the difference between a good outcome and a tragic one,” he said.

AB 2282 passed the Assembly earlier this year with unanimous support and now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for review.