LA County seeks to ensure MLK Community Hospital and others survive federal cuts

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted today to re-examine how millions of dollars in tax revenue, particularly Measure B funds, are distributed to trauma centers amid changes to federal Medicaid funding.

More than 135,000 patients come through the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital's emergency department each year, and it is one of many struggling acute-care medical facilities.

The review, initiated by Supervisor Holly Mitchell, aims to ensure equitable funding.

At MLK, tents have stood outside for years to help manage overcrowding, but despite growing demand in South LA, the private nonprofit hospital that shut down once before in 2007 says it's facing another financial crisis driven by changes to federal Medicaid funding.

Hospital leaders, employees, and community members rallied outside the board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday. They're asking the county to re-examine how Measure B tax dollars are distributed.

For two decades, the voter-approved funding has long supported trauma centers, with less going to hospitals like MLK.

Supervisor Mitchell, whose district includes Willowbrook, introduced the measure to conduct an independent review. Approximately 1.1 million county residents are projected to lose their Medi-Cal eligibility and become uninsured as new federal policies are implemented.

"It is critically important that Measure B funds be allocated wisely and equitably reflecting the increased pressure on hospital trauma centers and emergency rooms that serve larger populations of Medi-Cal patients and those who lost Medi-Cal eligibility under H.R.1," the motion read.

The motion passed with support, emphasizing the need for stable funding to maintain critical care services.