About Us
The District Hospital Leadership Forum (DHLF) is the statewide voice for California’s district and municipal public hospitals. DHLF was formed to ensure these hospitals had stronger representation in the development of Medi-Cal finance policy, supplemental payment programs, and other major state and federal initiatives affecting public hospitals.
DHLF’s roots trace back to the mid-2000s, when district hospitals participated in broader hospital financing, discussions related to California’s 2005 Medi-Cal waiver. During that process, it became clear that district hospitals did not have sufficient representation and were ultimately left out of key funding opportunities available to other public hospitals. In response, an informal group first came together to focus on these issues and build a stronger voice for district hospitals.
In 2009, district hospital leaders began working toward the formation of a dedicated association focused specifically on district hospital financial and reimbursement matters. Their goal was to create an organization led by district hospital executives and independent from other entities, with a clear mission to advocate for equitable treatment in state and federal programs. DHLF was officially established as a 501(c)(6) corporation in 2011.
From the beginning, DHLF has focused on improving access to public funding opportunities and strengthening the policy voice of district and municipal hospitals. Early on, DHLF pursued legislation to address Medi-Cal fee-for-service inpatient shortfalls, helping secure passage of AB 113 and generating approximately $30 million in new annual funding for district hospitals. This success helped establish DHLF’s collaborative “all for one, one for all” approach to advocacy.
Since then, DHLF has played a key role in expanding district and municipal hospital access to major Medi-Cal waiver and supplemental payment programs. Beginning with inclusion in the 2015 Medi-Cal waiver and continuing through subsequent waiver and managed care payment structures, DHLF has worked to ensure its members are recognized as public hospitals and included in critical financing opportunities.
DHLF represents district and municipal public hospitals across California community-based public hospitals that are essential to local access, rural health care infrastructure, emergency care, and regional economic stability. DHLF is led by hospital executives and focused on the policy, financing, and operational issues that matter most to its members and the communities they serve.