In the end, King-Harbor Hospital just couldn't get its act together. The Willowbrook medical center known by the not-so-flattering nickname "Killer King" learned Friday that it had failed a review by review by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and would lose the annual $200 million it receives from federal funding.
With that, King-Harbor -- known until recently as King/Drew -- shut down its emergency room on Friday afternoon, and will close down completely (at least for the time being) in two weeks. The L.A Times reports:
Community leaders say their biggest worry is the closure of the emergency room, which saw about 47,000 patients last year.
But, in a community that has long battled for its fair share of basic services, King-Harbor stands for more than just healthcare.
"It's a very personal relationship this hospital and the community have," Lark Galloway-Gilliam, executive director of Community Health Councils, said between sobs.
"People fought to have this place built, and it's been employment for some people. It's been a symbol that our community is somewhat whole, that the resources are there that you need when you want them," she said.
"So much has been taken away, so much has been taken away, it just breaks my heart," she said.
For the families who lost loved ones after medical lapses at the hospital, however, King-Harbor had come to symbolize betrayal, and Friday's news brought bitter satisfaction. Several had shared their stories with The Times in 2003 and 2004. Since then, each new tragedy at the hospital had rekindled the hurt and anger.
King/Drew failed its last inspection in 2006; rather than shut down, it dropped its association with Drew University and decreased its bedcount.
It didn't help. Making matters worse, the account of a woman who died after being ignored in the emergency room lobby for 45 minutes gained national attention.
The final straw, though, was this final inspection. According to the Times, inspectors cited the hospital for things such as a "failure to properly clean bronchoscopes -- devices used to look into the lungs -- which put patients at serious risk of exposure to contagious diseases. In addition, the hospital staff also could not demonstrate its ability to respond to a pediatric emergency, failing to locate critical equipment or even properly calculate how much medication to give a critically ill child."
The County will now look for a private operator or will try to reopen the hospital itself within the next 12 to 18 months, the paper said. Cheers to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for really messing this up and still not taking real responsibility here... and, by the way, for wasting all of property tax dollars on some real useless "solutions."
No comments:
Post a Comment