Pictured: King Drew Medical Center turned King Harbor Medical Center turned destined for failure... A familiar sight to King Drew Magnet High School students (circa 2003), and area residents.
DISCLAIMER: This blog is by no means *current* news. It was merely inspired by the newfound media frenzy over the case of Edith Rodriguez, who was left writhing in pain in the King Drew ER for about 45 minutes without ever receiving medical attention. She was arrested in the ER for an outstanding warrrant, and died. SMH...only on the east side. (Side note: there is a link to an article about her case in the 2nd paragraph.)
Health care has been a hot button issue for many Americans, especially in light of moves toward privatization and scores of job losses and benefit cuts sweeping across the country.
But the residents of South Los Angeles have been concerned about access to heath care long before Barack Obama introduced his plan, or even his bid to run for office. In fact, one may argue that there is indeed a hole in President-elect Obama's plan. Affordable, universal-esque health care is nice and all - but what am I supposed to do when the closest medical facility to me is more ill than I am?
For over 35 years, King Drew had existed as the only public hospital to service the greater portion of South Los Angeles - with the closest medical centers to it being County USC and the UCLA Medical Center. The trauma unit specifically, while barraged with thousands of near-death, and critically injured patients annually, had over a 90% survival and success rate. Yet, in October 2004, LA County officials voted to close the trauma unit so the hospital could focus it's energy into fixing other egregious flaws. IMPORTANT NOTE: The ER and trauma unit are not the same. So all the new media spotlight about the Edith Rodriguez case really has no bearing here. In fact, the trauma unit was closed in 2004, and this tragedy occured 3 years later. The sad reality is the members of the communities of South Los Angeles, Lynwood, Compton, Watts, Willowbrook, and other surrounding are as good as dead - in the event of a traumatic occurrence. And let's not forget this particular area has once of the highest incidences of homicide in the state, and nation.
The plight and travesty that is King Drew Medical Center (I don't care what the name gets changed to...why was Charles Drew's name taken off anyway? Shady biz...) pre-dates the more widely known January 2004 U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) inspection results exposing negligent and down right heartless practices of some nurses. The myriad of reports, statements, and records that have surfaced throughout the near 4 year period of scrutiny and inspection are abhorrently disheartening, and disgusting. From falsified charts, to ER negligence, it was readily apparent that K/D was seriously afflicted. But I can't help but wonder - where were these inspectors and county officials prior to 2004? It's not as though in December of 2003 the hospital was just fine, and as soon as the calendar hit '04 , shit hit the fan.
Throughout the over 3 1/2 years of failed, last-minute, last-ditch efforts of outside agencies and county officials, one thing was apparent - K/D had been diagnosed incorrectly, and the treatments were improper and insufficient. Everyone presumed the hospital to be cancerous - and proceeded to cut away vital units in an effort to "preserve" what was left. Too bad K/D was bleeding - and had been doing so for a very long time. Instead of injecting more life blood into the hospital, in August of 2007, CMS pulled the plug.
The impending closure (due to a complete loss of federal funds) of King Drew Medical Center isn't just about shitty hospital administration, shady funding, and stupid nurses. Ultimately, a definite price tag has been placed on the lives of the South Los Angeles residents who now are re-routed to more distant (albeit, "better") facilities to seek treatment. In fact, I remember attending a wake for the friend of a friend a few years back, who died from blood loss en route to Harbor UCLA because the trauma center at King Drew was closed. He was shot a few blocks from K/D - and could very well still be alive today if the ambulance did not have to re-route to a more distant facility.
Census and academic data from 2006 speaks volumes to why K/D (and the surrounding economically impoverished area) ble(e)d helplessly for so long. With around 30 percent of South Los Angeles residents living below the poverty line (which by the way, is over double the national average of 12.5 percent), and Compton ranking as the 6th most dangerous city in the U.S., it is apparent that the east side is, and has been in trouble for a very long time. A lack of economic development, employment, homelessness, and rampant gang violence (amongst other community conditions that I could spend all day listing) since the 1980's echoes the mantra of "kick 'em while they're down". They're all just gonna shoot, rob, rape, and smoke themselves to death anyways right - who actually needs a hospital in that area?
I could go on and on and on and on and on forever about societal ills, and on even further about how to rectify them... but I'll spare you my rantings. I just find it amazing (although unsurprising) that while one desperately needed medical facility dies on the east side...another one expands on the west side (UCLA Medical Center). Thinks that make you go "hmm..", eh?
In thinking about this post, and all the statistical data and reports for the shit that we already knew, one song comes to mind...let it marinate. I thought the video personally did the song NO justice, and (again, unsurprisingly) dumbed down the heavy contents of the lyrics.
Lupe Fiasco feat. Jill Scott - Daydreamin'
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