Comments on: MLK-Harbor Hospital—the Enabling Continues

By: WBC

WBC — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:27:12 +0000

Antonovich provided stats to show that private providers could run the county clinics for half the cost that the county can, for $100/ indigent patient vs. a whopping $200, but of course the unions and political interests will have none of it. I’d bet that MLK could be twice as efficient under private oversight, as well. (But then, who wants to take on that thankless job, under barrage of the same people who see MLK as a “social justice issue” rather than a simple issue of providing the best healthcare for the money, and are committed to its unions, rather than to the taxpaying public.)

By: richard locicero

richard locicero — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:56:06 +0000

Down here, behind the Orange Curtin, the county simpy did away with running its own hospitals and set up “Medical Services to the Indigent” which reimburses hospitals for treatment. Works pretty well too and several of my homeless friends have been treated at places like Hoag Hospital in Newport – our Cedars-Sinai.

Celeste, I wonder if your experience could have been explained by overworked and underrested staff.

By: Celeste Fremon

Celeste Fremon — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:07:36 +0000

Well detailed, and well put, WBC!

By: WBC

WBC — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:55:56 +0000

That (your closing wish) can only happen when the hospital is depoliticized, and run as any other hospital, based on strict criteria set up the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO) which warned the hospital many times that it would revoke MLK’s acceditation before finally doing so in a number of vital areas. That’s something that happens to very few hospitals, and is a dire warning, like getting a D-, but no one cared.

Apparently attempts to discipline employees were met with sick-outs, union strong-arming, and just plain political grandstanding: including from its Councilwoman, Janice Hahn, who kept harping on how her father had pushed the hospital through following the Watts riots as an act of “social justice.” Maxine Waters and the usual crowd harped on that, too. Yvonne Burke said the same thing, just less shrilly.

Then, when Gloria Molina finally, finally put her foot down, she was accused of being racist and singling out African- American workers and being insensitive to the social justice background, to which she retorted angrily. Zev sided with her, but I agree with you — someone characterized him as someone who sits to the side and watches the train take off, then if it looks like it’s gaining momentum, he jumps onto the caboose and pretends to be steering it. (E.g, also with mass transportation, housing density, etc.)