Ridley-Thomas asks Regents to support King Hospital

              NEWS

   Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

                        L.A. County Board of Supervisors, 2^nd District

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 18, 2009                                                                                                                                              Contact:    James Bolden

                                                                                                                                                                                     213-200-5314

 

SUPERVISOR RIDLEY- THOMAS SENDS LETTER TO UC REGENTS URGING

ACTIVE SUPPORT IN CREATING A ‘NEW’ KING MEDICAL CENTER BY 2012

 

He asked for support in ongoing joint efforts to open a new, 120-bed hospital that delivers the highest quality of patient care

 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – Acting immediately on Tuesday’s report on the positive discussions between the County of Los Angeles and the University of California to create a newer and better Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Center, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas today forwarded a letter to the UC Board of Regents expressing appreciation and pledging his personal commitment toward the goal.

 

In his two-page letter to Sherry Lansing, chair of the UC Board of Regents Committee on Health Services, the Supervisor stressed that the matter of health care in L.A. County is urgent. “There is much work to be done and time is of the essence as communities with very deserving patients impatiently await the opening of this new facility, he stated in the letter.

 

In a report to the Board of Supervisors earlier this week, the County’s Chief Executive Officer revealed that the UC System is expected to enter into a contractual agreement with the new non-profit entity to establish standards pertaining to quality assurance and the provision of physician services.  The UC system will also lead the efforts to re-establish training programs at the facility.

 

“I believe the framework being discussed by your board begins to address the most vexing issues regarding the relationship between the County and University in the establishment, financing and operation of the new hospital,” Supervisor Ridley Thomas wrote. “I hope the Regents will enthusiastically support our ongoing joint efforts to open a new, 120-bed hospital that delivers the highest quality of patient care and reinforces a badly frayed safety net.”

 

Once details have been worked out, the plan will then be reviewed by the Board of Supervisors and UC Board of Regents, who will work with the Governor’s Office, the California Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicine and Medicare Services to secure the legislation, regulatory and other necessary programmatic support. If these efforts are successful, inpatient services could be in operation in late 2012.

 

 “I strongly urge the University’s active support of this initiative and pledge my own commitment to bring to successful fruition, the promise embodied in this framework and to win the broad public support necessary for its implementation,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas concluded.

 

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