Lawsuit seeks to prevent closure of trauma center at LA hospital
Tuesday, November 2, 2004 at 05:27PM
TheSpook
A group trying to prevent closure of the trauma center at an inner-city
medical center filed a discrimination lawsuit, alleging the county is
trying to dismantle the troubled hospital. The nonprofit group Friends
of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center Inc., which includes
patients, doctors and community residents, accused Los Angeles County
and its health department Wednesday of violating the U.S.
Constitution's equal protection clause and the 1964 Civil Rights Act,
as well as Medicare and Medicaid regulations and various state laws.
The hospital and trauma center "have not been dealt with fairly nor
have the racial minorities they serve," attorney Mark Ravis said in a
statement. The lawsuit asks the court to bar the closure of the trauma
center, prevent further hospital cuts and restore services already
eliminated. The suit contends layoffs, transfers and cuts so far have
"systematically dismantled the medical care safety net," resulting in
delays of service. It also contends a decision has already been made by
the County Board of Supervisors to close the trauma center, though a
hearing isn't scheduled until Nov 15. "On the first day that the center
is closed, there is the very real, very immediate danger that patients
will die," the lawsuit warns. The hospital opened in the wake of the
1965 Watts riot and serves a mainly black and Hispanic population. The
region is so plagued by violence that the trauma center is used to
train military doctors. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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