County Ponders Hospital Bonds

County officials have talked about replacing the giant County-USC, whose main General Hospital building dates back to 1932. The issue took on a sense of greater urgency a few weeks ago after federal officials ordered the county to install fire alarms and a sprinkler system throughout the complex at a cost of up to $100 million.

Supervisor Kenneth Hahn on Tuesday won his colleagues’ support to look into placing a bond issue on the November, 1990, ballot to fund not only possible replacement of County-USC but also improvements at other county hospitals that serve the poor. Hahn has been stung by recent criticism of patient care at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in Watts, which is in his district.

The board instructed the county’s chief administrative officer to report in 30 days on a plan to modernize the county’s huge system of public hospitals and neighborhood clinics, including bringing facilities up to earthquake-safety standards.

“We have earthquake problems. We have fire problems. We have asbestos problems,” administrative officer Richard Dixon told the supervisors. He said he expects to propose more than $1 billion in improvements that would be financed from a property tax increase, subject to two-thirds voter approval.

A preliminary study by a private consultant to the county suggests that County-USC could operate more efficiently if the existing 1,450-bed complex, spread out over four buildings, is replaced with a single, 950-bed hospital at the same location, east of downtown Los Angeles.

Also proposed are building a 350-bed hospital at an unspecified site in the San Gabriel Valley and adding 200 beds to other county hospitals.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich said that before his colleagues commit to building new hospitals, they should consider buying a private hospital.

Board Chairman Ed Edelman said he expects the supervisors to approve submitting a hospital bond issue to a public vote.

“If each supervisor to some degree sees needs in his district being met, I think they’ll vote for it,” Edelman said.

Edelman, whose district includes County-USC, said he would not commit to replacing the medical center until he receives the consultant’s report, due to be completed early next year. County officials have said it may be cheaper to build a new hospital near the current site than to bring the facility up to earthquake and fire standards. No proposal has been made for use of the existing facility should a new hospital be built.

A 283-bed hospital is now being built near County-USC by USC and National Medical Enterprises Inc. The new teaching hospital, scheduled to be completed in spring of 1991, will handle primarily paying patients.

The last hospital bond issue was approved by county voters in 1966. It funded construction of Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar, which was destroyed in the 1971 earthquake. The hospital was rebuilt on the same site, but was funded from revenue bonds, which do not require voter approval.