After riots damaged areas of South Los Angeles in 1992, Linda Griego was there to help rebuild. In more recent years, the 1975 UCLA alumna watched with alarm as unemployment rates rose along with the number of uninsured among the working poor.
Then, three years ago, the area’s only hospital closed.
“It really left the community in dire straits,” said Griego, who currently runs her own business management company and served as a trustee to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for 12 years. “There was already not enough (access to health care).”
Now, as a recently appointed member of the new board of directors to conduct the re-opening of a South Los Angeles hospital, Griego will once again be helping the area rebuild.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed the first board of directors for the new Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital on Aug. 10, a big step toward the planned 2013 re-opening of the facility.
The independent, nonprofit board will be responsible for overseeing construction, hiring staff and establishing policies and procedures.
A glance at the resumes of the seven selected for board membership identifies a range of leaders in the medical, legal and business fields ““ chief executives, a chief medical officer and a law firm partner. Los Angeles County CEO William Fujioka and UC senior vice president of health services John Stobo collaborated to select the final set of candidates.
“Each brings a different element, a different skill set to the board,” Fujioka said. “That’s what you want ““ it would be wrong to get a board comprised of folks who all shared the same background.”
All do share a demonstrated commitment and compassion to underserved communities in the city, Fujioka added.
South Los Angeles is one of the most underserved areas in the state, according to a December 2008 report by the nonprofit organization Community Health Councils.
The board selection process began in February.
More than 300 letters requesting recommendations were sent out to all areas of the healthcare field, from hospitals and clinics to faith-based organizations and advocacy groups.
After receiving the recommendations, Fujioka and Stobo identified the top tier of candidates. A series of interviews narrowed the field to the seven approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.
Griego also currently serves on the advisory board of the UCLA Women’s Health Education and Resource Center and the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.
She said she is excited by the challenge, and the chance to improve an area in need of a positive change.