CC RES 2002-065 RESOLUTION NO. 2002-65
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
VERDES IN SUPPORT OF THE CONTINUED PRESENCE OF HARBOR-UCLA
MEDICAL CENTER AS A FULL SERVICE TERTIARY HOSPITAL ABLE TO
OPERATE AS A LEVEL I TRAUMA CENTER AND TO SUSTAIN ITS ROLE AS
A TEACHING HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH HUB.
WHEREAS, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is the premier tertiary hospital in the South
Bay and in the Los Angeles County Health System.
WHEREAS, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is the only Level I Trauma Center in the
South Bay area, serving population of some 2.2 million people both the insured and
the uninsured.
WHEREAS, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is an important component of emergency
management plans in an area of Los Angeles County that includes an international
airport, two international seaports and major oil and chemical facilities.
WHEREAS, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center provides an immense amount of
uncompensated medical care to the underserved of the South Bay and surrounding Los
Angeles County communities more than 75,000 ER visits, 250,000 outpatient clinic
visits and over 23,000 hospitalizations.
WHEREAS, Harbor-UCLA is a magnet and training ground for new physicians serving
the Los Angeles County, including the South Bay, with important links to the nation's
foremost medical schools including the UCLA School of Medicine.
WHEREAS, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is an essential partner in the ongoing
medical research programs of its affiliated Research and Education Institute (REI),
which has and continues to produce life-saving medical breakthroughs.
WHEREAS, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is a vital part of the South Bay region's
economy, employing more than 4,000 people and accounting for almost $1 billion in
direct and indirect revenue to the South Bay area annually.
WHEREAS, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is the most cost-efficient hospital in the Los
Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) hospital system according to the
California State Auditor.
WHEREAS, the reorganization plan put forth by the Los Angeles County DHS in
response to projected County budget deficits would seriously reduce Harbor-UCLA's
resources and role in the County health system,
WHEREAS, changes proposed in the DHS reorganization plan would strip Harbor-
UCLA Medical Center of its ability to operate as a Level I Trauma Center and could
ultimately result in the closure of the hospital as an in-patient facility.
WHEREAS, community and private hospitals in the South Bay would not be able to fill
the void left by a reduction in services or closure of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
WHEREAS, the loss of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center as a trauma center and tertiary
care facility would jeopardize lives in the South Bay and surrounding communities,
seriously impair the region's ability to respond in the event of natural and man-made
disasters, curtail medical research and create irreparable economic damage
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes calls upon the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to reject proposals to
downgrade Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and to instead continue Harbor-UCLA as a full
service tertiary hospital with the range of sub-specialty care required to maintain
Harbor-UCLA as a Level I Trauma Center and to sustain its role as a teaching hospital
and as a research hub in conjunction with its affiliated Research and Education Institute
(REI).
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THE 6th DAY OF August, 2002.
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ATTEST.
• � MAY
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CITY CLERK
State of California )
County of Los Angeles )ss
City of Rancho Palos Verdes )
I, JO PURCELL, City Clerk of The City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the
above Resolution No. 2002-65 was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said
City Council at regular meeting thereof held on August 6, 2002.
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CITY CLERK
Resolution No. 2002-65
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