DOCTORS' OFFER REJECTED SUPERVISORS VOTE AGAINST HOSPITAL TAKEOVER.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick and Troy Anderson Staff Writers

Los Angeles County supervisors rejected Antelope Valley doctors' offer, backed by a $2 million pledge, to take over High Desert Hospital's inpatient and nursing home wards.

After the county's top health official said poor valley residents would be better served by turning the hospital into an outpatient-only clinic, the supervisors' 3-2 vote reaffirmed an August 2002 decision to get rid of all High Desert's beds this month.

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, whose district includes the Antelope Valley, and Supervisor Don Knabe voted for the doctors' proposal. Supervisors Gloria Molina, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and Zev Yaroslavsky voted against it.

Antonovich called the vote ``extremely disappointing,'' but said he expects the proposal could be resurrected if Antelope Valley Hospital succeeds in its attempt to get a federal court order blocking High Desert's closure as a hospital.

``It's a cost-effective solution to continue the hospital care we have in the valley,'' Antonovich said of the doctors' plan.

Attorneys for Antelope Valley Hospital filed for the injunction Monday afternoon in federal court.

``It's specifically to enjoin (High Desert) hospital from refusing to accept indigent patients,'' hospital attorney Bob Crockett said. ``The county is required by state law to provide reasonably accessible medical care to indigents, and the Antelope Valley is a unique circumstance by reason of its geographic isolation.''

Closing High Desert would send those indigent patients to Antelope Valley Hospital or Lancaster Community Hospital, Crockett said.

``Their combined emergency room beds is 37, and right now Antelope Valley Hospital is operating at 200 percent capacity,'' Crockett said. ``The closing would mean indigent patients would not receive the care required by state law.''

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction May 6, barring the county from shuttering Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey. The judge also forbade a cutback in beds at County/USC Medical Center.

The doctors' proposal had come from a group of physicians represented by former Antelope Valley Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mathew Abraham. The doctors had offered to pay up to $2 million to keep 30 beds in the hospital's inpatient wards open during a six-month transition while they took them over as a nonprofit organization.

Abraham told the supervisors it is vital for the county to keep High Desert open to avoid a ``medical care crisis that will surely follow the closure of High Desert.''

But the county, facing massive budget deficits, still would have had to put up an additional $6.7 million to keep the beds open for the six months.

County health officials said Antelope Valley residents without health insurance would be better off if High Desert were converted into a clinic.

``While the proposal does maintain access to inpatient services to the general Antelope Valley community, the overall proposal does not further (Los Angeles County Department of Health Services') mission, as it is not designed to substantially improve the access of the indigent and uninsured to health care services,'' Health Services Director Dr. Thomas Garthwaite said in a report to the supervisors.

The physicians group offered to let the county pay a reduced rate for three beds earmarked for indigent patients. The doctors said they were willing to open up more beds for indigent patients based on the availability of nurses and other key personnel, documents said.

Before the supervisors' closed session vote, doctors and other civic leaders told the supervisors the Antelope Valley had four hospitals two decades ago, but now only has three serving a much-larger population.

``The hospitals are at the breaking point, losing millions of dollars monthly to serve the existing population,'' Antelope Valley Hospital Dr. Pavel Petrik said. ``Patients are being kept in the hallways of the hospital and in the emergency room for several days at a time.

Staff Writer Karen Maeshiro contributed to this story.

Charles F. Bostwick, [phone]

chuck.bostwick(at)dailynews.com