New ways of caring for poor tested in LA County
Care is once again available on the site of a controversial safety-net hospital in Los Angeles County, though the new clinic is taking a different approach to treating some of the region’s poorest residents.
As the Los Angeles Times reported, a public health clinic, a recuperative care facility for the homeless, a psychiatric urgent care center and a sickle cell clinic are all operating on the site of the former Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center, which closed in 2007 after years of reports of patient deaths caused by poor care and staff mismanagement.
Along with the new MLK Jr. Community Hospital next door, county health officials hope the clinics serve as a lifeline for a vulnerable population, particularly those with conditions like sickle cell which require frequent visits to a physician.
“It touches a disease that is often overlooked and really an important one in a community like South L.A., said Mark Ghaly, MD, who oversees the MLK medical campus for L.A. County’s Department of Health Services. “The clinic really takes the life of the patient ... and tries to care for them in a more person-centered way, not just a patient-centered way.”
For more on the new clinics and how they’re trying to erase the old hospital’s reputation, click on the link below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.