RIDLEY-THOMAS APPLAUDS GOVERNOR'S SIGNING OF BILLS THAT STRENGTHEN COUNTY'S HEALTH SAFETY NET

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 27, 2010                                                                                                                              Contact:    Ed Maddox 213-361-6980

                                                                                                                                                                                      James Bolden 213-200-5314

 

SUPERVISOR RIDLEY-THOMAS APPLAUDS GOVERNOR’S SIGNING

OF COUNTY-SPONSORED ASSEMBLY BILLS THAT HELP STRENGTHEN

LOS ANGELES COUNTY’S HEALTH SAFETY NET

 

LOS ANGELES – Supervisor Ridley-Thomas today hailed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signing Friday of AB 2599, which codifies an agreement between L.A. County and the University of California (UC), and AB 2699, which exempts out-of-state health care practitioners from state licensure requirements when they volunteer their time and services during a free health care event.

 

Both bills were sponsored by the County of Los Angeles and carried by Assembly Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and Assistant Speaker pro Tempore Assemblyman Isadore Hall, III (D-Los Angeles).

 

AB 2599 requires the Department of Health Care Services and the California Medical Assistance Commission to ensure Medi-Cal funding for the new private nonprofit MLK Hospital Medical Center.

 

“I am pleased that the legislature has codified the State’s commitment to the UC and the County to provide financial support for the hospital,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said.  “This continues our momentum toward restoring quality in-patient services to underserved residents in the Watts-Willowbrook area by the new MLK Hospital.”

The Governor also signed AB 2699, an important bill that makes it easier for qualified out-of-state health care practitioners to volunteer their time for free sponsored health care events, such as the annual free Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic. 

On only the second day of the weeklong free health clinic held at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in April, RAM/LA officials ran out of patient appointments, due to too few professional medical and dental volunteers. 

The experience hampered the organization’s goal of serving 1,200 patients daily and highlighted the importance of passing AB 2699. 

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