The Legislature makes the following findings and declarations:
(a) There is a maldistribution of health services in California. Most rural areas of the state do not have adequate health services because there are insufficient health personnel and facilities and inadequate transportation to such services.
(b) The lack of health services in rural areas has a negative impact on the health and safety of the public.
(c) Existing public programs to meet the problem of inadequate health services in rural areas are not sufficient in scope or properly coordinated to significantly improve the availability of health services.
(d) It is unlikely that the situation will improve without substantial state and local action.
It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to establish a program of rural health services in the department. The purpose of the program is to improve the coordination of rural health services and to increase the amount and availability of the services.
The Legislature intends that the program consist of all the following:
(1) The California Health Services Corps in which health personnel are assigned to health care delivery organizations.
(2) Health services development projects, in which new health care delivery organizations are established.
(3) An organizational unit within the department to coordinate rural health programs.
(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 1996.)