Hospital is part of a hub of health for South LA
On January 23, 2018, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital CEO Dr. Elaine Batchlor and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas spoke with Adrienne Alpert on ABC7’s “Eyewitness Newsmakers” program about the vision the two leaders are helping create on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Campus.
Supervisor Ridley-Thomas began the interview by announcing that Los Angeles County is going to use the previous King/Drew hospital building on the campus to house a new behavioral health center, which will provide services for people experiencing acute mental health or substance abuse crises.
“Hospitals across California are struggling with a lack of mental health services,” Dr. Batchlor explained. “We have a lot of patients in our Emergency Department with untreated behavioral health problems, so we see the new center as a huge benefit for our community and a huge asset for our campus.”
“We see [the new behavioral health center as] part of the connected system of care on the campus and beyond for the community.” –Dr. Elaine Batchlor, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital CEO
The 22-minute interview allowed both leaders to recall achievements—such as the hospital’s 2017 Most Wired award and the inception of the hospital’s affiliated MLK Community Medical Group—as well as goals yet to come.
Among the plans forecast, Dr. Batchlor talked about the medical office building that will be housed on the campus, as well as plans to establish the hospital as a Center of Excellence for diabetes care.
All of it, noted Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, is about the MLK Medical Campus as a hub of health and an anchor for South LA’s revitalization.
“We’re very excited about the work we’re doing to expand services on the campus and to create a continuum of care for the community,” said Dr. Batchlor.
Watch the episode on ABC7