Los Angeles County may close two hospitals where UCLA runs
teaching and research programs if voters don’t bail out the
county’s trauma centers with a multi-million dollar ballot
measure Tuesday.
Facing a budget shortfall of $326.6 million in 2003-2004, the
county is looking to ballot measure B ““ along with possible
state and federal aid ““ to keep the hospitals open.
The county runs Harbor-UCLA and Olive View-UCLA medical centers,
but UCLA provides them with some staff.
The arrangement gives UCLA’s School of Medicine a way to
let students gain experience in hospitals, but it suffers from a
chronically underfunded county health system.
Closure of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Olive View-UCLA
Medical Center would harm the quality of health care and
UCLA’s medical school, said Dr. Jesse Thompson, chief of
surgery at Olive View.
“If they close both hospitals, lots of faculty would lose
their jobs,” Thompson said.
Last week, county supervisors voted 4-1 to wait until Nov. 19
““ after the general election ““ before deciding whether
to close the hospitals, because ballot measure B could prevent
closure.
This measure would provide the county trauma system with $168
million by placing a tax on developed property, such as homes and
businesses, of three cents per square foot.
But the measure requires the support of two-thirds of county
voters in Tuesday’s elections, a threshold that is difficult
to reach.
If measure B passes, it will be up to county supervisors to
decide whether to use the money to maintain Harbor-UCLA or use it
to help fund the county’s other 12 trauma centers, such as
County-USC Hospital.
Hospitals designated as trauma centers ““ such as
Harbor-UCLA ““ provide the highest level of care possible for
patients involved in accidents, said Dr. Tom Rosenthal, a vice
provost in the UCLA School of Medicine.
“If you are in an accident going down the 405 to
Torrence,” Rosenthal said, “you’re going to be
taken to Harbor right now regardless of whether you’re
insured because that’s where they have the best
treatment.”
Closing any trauma centers will reduce the quality of care at
the remaining hospitals, he said.
County supervisors are also asking for state and federal
assistance to maintain the county health system.
A combination of state, federal and local funding succeeded in
preventing a similar crisis in 1994-1995, Rosenthal said.
Those funds were only provided for five or six years and have
run out, which is why serious problems are appearing now, he
added.
But even if additional revenue is found, the County Department
of Health Services recommends reducing services at Harbor-UCLA,
according to a report sent to county supervisors.
The report’s less optimistic funding scenarios recommend
changing both Harbor-UCLA and Olive View-UCLA to ambulatory care
centers, which offer fewer services than a basic hospital.
“I’m a vice-chair (of surgery) and I’d
probably take off if I was just running a clinic,” Thompson
said.
He expects other professors and students to leave UCLA if the
hospitals close, making the university a less attractive option for
medical school.
If some hospitals close, health services recommends UCLA’s
medical school developing joint training programs with other
medical schools such as USC’s.
Hospitals associated with UCLA are not the only ones affected by
budget cuts.
County supervisors have already cut services to other hospitals
while waiting to see if more funding will arrive.
Last week, county supervisors voted 4-1 to close Rancho Los
Amigos National Rehabilitation Center and cut 50 beds from
County-USC hospital.