July 09, 2015

 

LAWT News Service 

 

 

Hoping to gain a clear understanding of the services needed and the number of patients that will use the newly opened Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has asked the Department of Health Services to work with the hospital’s leadership to compile quarterly reports on the number of emergency room visits, hospital occupancy rates and average lengths of stay for patients.

 

“It is critical that we in the county have this data at our disposal to determine whether additional investments for in-patient services and facilities are required to meet the needs of the surrounding community and service area,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who authored the motion that was approved. “The opening of this new, state of the art facility has always been the first phase of more to come. We will continue building for the future of this hospital and the other facilities on the MLK campus as it is needed. This community will not be neglected.”

 

The hospital opened its doors to the public on July 7, marking the beginning of a new era in healthcare delivery at the MLK Medical Campus. The opening is a milestone that allows patients to begin using the 131-bed community hospital. The hospital, which is privately run and is leasing the property from the county, has 21 beds in its emergency room and intensive care unit, a labor and delivery unit as well as four operating rooms equipped with latest technology and 10 post-anesthesia care unit beds in addition to other services.

 

In addition, the Medical Campus surrounding the hospital offers an Outpatient Center for preventive care, a mental health urgent care center to help patients with psychiatric services, a Center for Public Health offering vaccinations and reproductive health information and soon a recuperative care center for homeless patients to recover after being released from the hospital, a medical office building for doctors to see patients, an autism center and more.

Category: Community