AUSTIN (KXAN) — A proposed ordinance aimed at strengthening security at new Austin hospitals — sparked by a deadly crash at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center in February and an ongoing KXAN investigation — is being finalized and could get final approval in mid-December.
“As local journalists looked into the incident, it was discovered that there are no local or state requirements protecting pedestrian entrances at these type of facilities,” Amber Hutchens with the Austin Transportation Department said in a presentation Monday, referencing KXAN’s reporting.
The city’s Urban Transportation Commission heard new details about the proposal, which the city council unanimously requested in July. Council Member Mackenzie Kelly authored the resolution after watching KXAN’s investigation, which found similar crashes at more than 300 hospitals across the country in the past decade.
“Staff is currently working with the legal department to finalize the proposed updates to the Land Development Code,” Hutchens said.