A.V. MAY LOSE HOSPITAL COUNTY CONSIDERS CONVERTING HIGH DESERT TO CLINIC.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - High Desert Hospital would be converted to an outpatient clinic under the latest recommendations developed by Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County health officials. Faced with what county administrators say are multimillion-dollar deficits in coming years, health officials want to change the hospital to either a multiservice ambulatory care center ambulatory care center Walk-in clinic Medical practice A free-standing facility that provides non-emergent medical, or less commonly, dental services or a comprehensive health center while keeping health clinics in Palmdale, Littlerock and Lake Los Angeles open. ``The reason that the department is making this recommendation is because an ambulatory care ambulatory care n. Medical care provided to outpatients. ambulatory care, n the health services provided on an outpatient basis to those who can visit a health care facility and return home the same day. program can serve more residents of the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley than the current configuration of services at High Desert Hospital,'' said John Wallace, a spokesman for the Department of Health Services Department of Health Services may refer to:
The move was decried by local Antelope Valley leaders, who say the Antelope Valley cannot afford to lose more hospital beds. This is the third time in seven years county officials have threatened High Desert with closure or cutbacks. ``It would be absolutely devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. for that hospital to go to nothing. ... We will be fighting for that hospital to stay open,'' Lancaster Vice Mayor Henry Hearns said. Hearns noted that the Antelope Valley in the early 1990s had a population of about 200,000 and five hospitals. Two hospitals - Desert Palms Community Hospital in Palmdale and a small hospital at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - have since closed, and now the valley's population is well over 300,000. ``We now have three hospitals, and they want to take one of those? The answer is absolutely no,'' Hearns said. As a county hospital, High Desert takes in patients without medical insurance or a way to pay for their care. If it closes, patients who need overnight hospital care would have to go to county hospitals in Los Angeles. Local officials believe many patients would end up at Lancaster Community Hospital This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. and Antelope Valley Hospital, which would have to absorb the costs of their care. High Desert Hospital is licensed for 170 beds, but because of budget constraints operates 82. Antelope Valley Hospital has 358 beds, Lancaster Community has 117 beds. The county Board of Supervisors The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in the U.S. is scheduled to consider the proposed cuts at its meeting June 26. Hospital supporters plan to bus Antelope Valley residents to the hearing. By October, the Health Services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract Department will recommend whether High Desert should be converted to a multiservice ambulatory care center or a comprehensive health center, ``based on an evaluation of DHS' prospects for fiscal relief,'' a county report said. Conversion would start in May 2003, the report said. Wallace said a multiservice ambulatory care center would offer more specialty services than a comprehensive health center. Those could include outpatient surgery, urgent care services and high-end diagnostic tests. A comprehensive health center would offer primary care and specialty care, similar to the clinic in Palmdale but larger, Wallace said. Converting High Desert to a multiservice ambulatory care center would save the county $15.6 million over two years starting next fiscal year, records show. Converting it to a comprehensive health center would save $7.8 million over the same two-year period, records show. County-run hospitals and clinics face severe cuts because of a $365 million deficit projected for fiscal 2003-04, deepening to a $688 million deficit by 2005-06 as federal bailout funds run out. County supervisors already voted in March to reduce inpatient rehabilitation services at High Desert, saving $500,000 annually. People can reserve a seat on the buses to the June 26 meeting by calling (661) 945-8237. |
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