Ridley-Thomas Urges Evaluation of Health Task Force's Report

 NEWS

                 Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

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

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

April 24, 2009                                             Contact:   Aurelio Rojas                  James Bolden

                                                                                          213-974-2222             213-200-5314                      

                                                                   

                                                                   

                                                                                                            

RIDLEY-THOMAS URGES EVALUATION OF

HEALTH TASK FORCE’S REPORT

Report includes recommendations to strengthen Los Angeles County Health Net 

 

LOS ANGELES -- Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas today directed county officials to review a report by the L.A. Healthcare Options Task Force and make recommendations to strengthen the quality of health for residents of the County, including those residing in the  region that will be served by the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital.

 

The task force, created in October 2008 by The California Endowment, includes stakeholders representing hospitals, physicians, health advocates, organized labor and the business community. Its mandate was to develop a vision and recommendations for achieving a high quality integrated safety net healthcare delivery system in the County.

 

Supervisor Ridley-Thomas joined representatives of the Task Force at a news conference before today’s Board meeting to release the report, entitled “Achieving the Vision: Healthcare Options for Los Angeles.”

 

The report presents a vision for a high-quality,  financially sound public safety-net healthcare delivery system supported by public-private partnerships, including recommendations for turning the vision into a reality.

 

 

The Supervisor later directed the County’s Chief Executive Officer to work with the Acting Director of Health Services to review the report and issue their recommendations to Board in 60 days.

 

 “I commend the Los Angeles Healthcare Options Taskforce for the development of this comprehensive vision for transforming the Los Angeles County health care safety-net system,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. “We should carefully examine how the recommendations in the report should be implemented.”

 

 The report presents analytical findings and recommendations for improving the quality and financial sustainability of the County’s public sector healthcare delivery system. It identifies four categories for improving the healthcare system in Los Angeles, including quality care delivery, finance, information technology and governance and management.  

 

The report includes a focus on South Los Angeles and the proposed opening of a new Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital. It commends the partnership involving Los Angeles County, the University of California and the State of California to create a new publicly-funded private hospital to replace the old Martin Luther King Hospital.

 

It also provides recommendations on how the County can ensure the new hospital’s success by better integrating its in-patient, ambulatory and emergency services into a larger network of regional health care.

 

#     #     #     #

Ta'Shara N. Murray

THE OFFICE OF SUPERVISOR MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS

500  W. Temple Street, Room 866

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 974-2222    Fax (213) 680-3283

MarkRidley-Thomas@bos.lacounty.gov

http://ridley-thomas.lacounty.gov/