King/Drew Trauma Unit Hearing Is Set

A public hearing to discuss the proposed closure of the trauma center at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center will be held at 3 p.m. Nov. 15 in the King/Drew Magnet High School auditorium.

The school is at 1601 E. 120th St. in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County officials announced in September that they intended to close the trauma unit. They have said shutting it down would allow them to reallocate resources to other crucial hospital functions.

Many local activists and politicians have opposed the closure plan, saying the area needs the trauma center too badly.

Troubled for decades, King/Drew has been reeling in the last year from a series of lapses in patient care, including several that contributed to patients’ deaths, according to regulators. Adding to the problems, accreditors have ordered the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, which trains doctors at King/Drew, to close three of its programs, including surgery.

Community leaders have been joined by some city fire officials in expressing concerns about the proposed trauma center closure.

King/Drew’s trauma unit handled 2,150 patients with serious injuries last year, including gunshot and automobile accident victims.

Fire officials have said that if King/Drew’s unit closes, they will have to take some patients farther away to get care or take them to nearby emergency rooms, which are supposed to handle less-severe injuries.