Parks, Hahn and Perry Introduce Resolution Opposing the Closure of County Health Facilities!

            Leading their city’s charge to keep Los Angeles County Health Facilities open, L.A. City Councilmembers Bernard C. Parks, Janice Hahn and Jan Perry introduced a resolution that opposes the suggested closure of 11 clinics and six comprehensive outpatient health centers in due to budget constraints.

         Parks, who authored the resolution said, "The L.A. City Council’s action was initiated because of the alarming media coverage of proposed budget cuts in health services. These cuts would significantly affect under-served areas that are represented by myself, Councilmember Perry, and Councilmember Hahn. In addition, the loss of employment to county workers would also create a detrimental impact on our community. Today, we join with Supervisor Burke, Molina, Knabe, and Yaroslavsky in requesting that the county finds other means and methods to balancing their budget without the loss of medical services and jobs. "

         The proposal was reported by various media outlets last week Under the plan, patients would lose county facilities that provide more than 160,000 urgent care visits and nearly 180,000 specialty care visits a year, mostly from the uninsured and poor and was drafted in case the county fails to resolve disputes with the federal government over $137 million in funding.

         "We have seen the County’s health care system become more and more crippled over the past few years, but closing these clinics would completely paralyze an already overburdened system," said Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "On behalf of the people that we represent, we cannot allow this to happen."

         "The health of one community has a huge impact on all communities. We must remember this as we carefully weigh the options before us," said Councilwoman Jan Perry. "While the City does not govern our healthcare system, the net effect of the loss of emergency room and clinic services is detrimental to the well-being of the entire region. The health of our communities is and must be a top priority."

Four of the five members of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors are against the plan and yesterday called for alternative budget-cutting ideas and voted to hire independent experts to analyze the potential effect of reducing the county’s role in providing primary care.