As used in this article:

(a) “Advisory committee” means the Health Care Equity Measures Advisory Committee established pursuant to Section 127376.

(b) “Disparity reduction” means a reduction in variation in disease occurrence, including communicable diseases and chronic conditions, as well as health outcomes for vulnerable populations.

(c) “Equity report” means a written document prepared for annual submission to the Department of Health Care Access and Information pursuant to this article.

(d) “Hospital” means an acute hospital licensed pursuant to subdivision (a), (b), or (f) of Section 1250.

(e) “Hospital system” means an entity or system of entities that includes or owns two or more hospitals within the state, of which at least one is a general acute care hospital, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1250.

(f) “Integrated system” means an entity or system of entities that includes one or more hospitals and is related to one or more hospitals, health plans, or physician groups through parent-subsidiary relationships, contractual relationships, or common boards and shared senior management.

(g) “Patient population” means all of the people served by a hospital.

(h) “Vulnerable populations” includes both of the following:

(1) Racial and ethnic groups experiencing disparate health outcomes, including Black/African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian Indian, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Vietnamese, Native Hawaiian, Guamanian or Chamorro, Samoan, or other nonwhite racial groups, as well as individuals of Hispanic/Latino origin, including Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Chicanos, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans.

(2) Socially disadvantaged groups, including all of the following:

(A) The unhoused.

(B) Communities with inadequate access to clean air and safe drinking water, as defined by an environmental California Healthy Places Index score of 50 percent or lower.

(C) People with disabilities.

(D) People identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.

(E) Individuals with limited English proficiency.

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 751, Sec. 2. (AB 1204) Effective January 1, 2022.)