Health Director Falls Ill During Heated Debate With Supervisors

The director of Los Angeles County’s Department of Health Services, Robert Gates, became ill and appeared to black out during a heated exchange at a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday.

Paramedics were called to the Hall of Administration to administer aid to the stricken health director, who moments earlier had a testy exchange with Supervisor Gloria Molina and was peppered with tough questions by other supervisors over the costs of rebuilding County-USC Medical Center and other health care facilities.

Molina and others ran to his side as Gates first appeared to faint and then seemed disoriented.

The sergeant-at-arms asked Gates if he wished to lie down and if he knew where he was. Gates, ashen-faced with his head dipping to his chest, appeared unable to respond.

Gates, 53, was helped out of his jacket and his tie was loosened and he appeared to regain strength. He eventually was able to walk away from the dais and was examined by paramedics.

Molina, chairwoman of the board, adjourned the meeting.

Molina and her colleagues said they were deeply distressed by Gates’ collapse.

“It has frightened and intimidated me like nothing that has ever happened before,” she said.

Seeking to explain the tone she had take with the department head, Molina said if she sounded reproachful of Gates, it was out of frustration over dealing with an issue of immense complexity and importance to the county.

“Did I know something like this was going to occur? Oh, my God, no,” she said. “If I had had any idea there was this kind of pressure I would never have pursued this.”

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called the episode unsettling and said that it should give board members pause when confronting top county managers.

“We need to remember that our employees are human beings and that we in elected office sometimes can intimidate and be feared,” he said. “Sometimes we inadvertently put pressure on them and we don’t need to exacerbate that. Vigorous questioning is appropriate but I think the less personal the question is, the better served we are.”

“It was very disturbing; it makes you queasy,” said Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who was among the first to notice Gates’ distress and who called for a recess.

The events appeared to stun many in the sparsely populated hall, which had earlier been packed with supporters of an anti-gang project whose funding was being considered by the five-member board.

Shortly thereafter, Gates and an aide took the dais and were asked to respond to questions about the financing of several health care projects, including the massive $1-billion rebuilding of County-USC.

Shortly before his collapse, Molina had castigated the health director for failing to reassure the board that the financing plan was sound.

“You’ve come to us at least 25 times on this issue . . . and I am disappointed that you are not doing a very effective job,” she said. Supervisors Yaroslavsky and Yvonne Brathwaite Burke then proceeded to bombard the health director and his aide with more questions, until Gates appeared to slump in his seat.

The incident comes at a time when the board and Gates have been rocked with bad news over the federal government’s decision to withhold more than $640 million in health care funds the county had been counting on.

Molina said she intended, at an appropriate time, to try to visit Gates to talk to him. Burke said she would propose having paramedics or a physician on hand at future meetings.

Gates was not available for comment. A county spokeswoman said he was admitted to County-USC Medical Center and was later transferred to the private USC-University Hospital. No diagnosis of his condition was available, but doctors said the health director was alert and in good spirits.