DAVIS FUNDS TRAUMA CARE NEWHALL MEMORIAL AMONG HOSPITALS TO BENEFIT FROM $25 MILLION IN BUDGET.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Gov. Gray Davis' announcement Thursday that he will retain $25 million for trauma centers soothed worries at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital where the money is needed to cover the high costs of care for the severely injured. The Valencia hospital - one of 44 trauma centers in the state and 13 in 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 that will benefit from the state money - expects to receive about $300,000. ``Trauma centers operate in a deficit, but the $300,000 will give us financial relief and we'll be able to break even,'' said Paul Salomon, the hospital's senior vice president chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. . Trauma-care centers incur high operating costs because they provide around-the-clock surgeons and other medical staffers specially trained and equipped to deal with severe injuries from traffic crashes and gunshot wounds. In 2001 Newhall Memorial treated about 500 people in its trauma center, which serves the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. north of the San Gabriel Mountains San Gabriel Mountains, S Calif., E and NE of Los Angeles, running c.50 mi (80 km) westward from Cajon Pass. San Antonio Peak (10,080 ft/3,072 m) is the highest of the range. Citrus fruits are raised on the southern foothills. up to Agua Dulce and Frazier Park. The governor's decision in November to cut funding came as the financially beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. hospital was at the brink of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. At the time the hospital also had initiated plans for a $6 million expansion of the emergency room, which Salomon says has a relatively low patient capacity. Construction for a short-term expansion of the urgent-care area will begin in February, which will increase its capacity by 57 percent. The hospital anticipates the entire reconstruction of the emergency room to be completed by late 2004. Davis' proposal got little support from lawmakers. In November, 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. voted unanimously to urge Davis to restore the funding, concerned about the collapse of the system for treating emergency cases. ``It's very positive. I think it renews the relationship,'' Salomon said. ``It's an act of faith with the hospitals.'' |
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