Possible respite for King-Harbor Medical Center

by shayera [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

King-Harbor Medical Center in South Central Los Angeles is back in the news this week.
As you may remember, King-Harbor's, formerly known as King Drew Medical Center, funding was pulled at the end of June, when the hospital failed it's final review.
King-Harbor had been under scrutiny for quite a long time for sub standard care, but it was the reporting of the death of Edith Isabel Rodriguez at the hospital that appeared to be the straw that broke the camel's back with regards to the survival of the Medical center.
The Los Angeles Times documented the travails of King harbor in a Pulitzer winning series of articles.

This past Saturday a community meeting was held at the hospital to discuss the possible fate of the hospital.
The meeting had been called for by Rep. Laura Richardson and Rep. Maxine Waters.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors member Yvonne B. Burke made some interesting comments, including a statement that the Board of Supervisors might have kept the hospital open, despite the loss of funding had it not been for the revelation of death of Ms. Rodriguez. Along with another incident, which she refused to elaborate upon.

She told the crowd of hospital supporters that there had been an array people doing their best to make sure the hospital closed.

"It was almost like it was a conspiracy," Burke said.

Burke told the crowd that in October the County would would try to find a private entity to run the hospital, who would then turn around and petition the County to run the facility.

King-Harbor served over 40,000 patients annually in South-Central Los Angeles every year. The majority poor and uninsured. And, unfortunately, many of those residents are currently facing a situation where they will be receiving no health care at all. Hopefully there is some truth in the story about the reopening of the hospital.