Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital |
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|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr. – Los Angeles Healthcare Corporation (MLK-LA) | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 1680 120th Street Willowbrook, Los Angeles Los Angeles County, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°55′24″N 118°14′37″W / 33.923229°N 118.243737°W |
| Organization | |
| Care system | Private, Nonprofit |
| Funding | Government hospital |
| Hospital type | Community |
| Affiliated university | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Services | |
| Beds | 130 |
| History | |
| Founded | 2013, opened 2015 |
The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, also called MLK-LA, is a hospital with 131 beds. It is located in Willowbrook, a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles County, California. This area is just outside the main city of Los Angeles.
This hospital was built to help people in the nearby South Los Angeles communities. It especially helps patients who do not have health insurance or have very little. The hospital officially opened its doors on July 7, 2015. It is a brand new building that cost about $208.5 million to build. It stands on the same land where an older hospital, the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, used to be.
Contents
Hospital History
The old hospital on this site, called the Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center, closed in 2007. This happened because the hospital had some problems and lost its government funding. Its closure left many people in South Los Angeles without a major hospital nearby. This was especially hard for people who needed medical care but could not afford it.
In 2009, the County of Los Angeles worked with the University of California. They agreed that the county would pay to build a new hospital. The University of California system would then provide the doctors and other medical staff. A special non-profit group was created to run the new hospital. This group is called the Martin Luther King Jr. – Los Angeles Healthcare Corporation.
How the Hospital is Run
The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital is managed by the Martin Luther King Jr. – Los Angeles Healthcare Corporation (MLK-LA). This is a private group that does not aim to make a profit. The County of Los Angeles paid for the hospital to be built. The University of California, Los Angeles healthcare system provides the doctors and other medical workers.
In August 2012, the MLK-LA Board chose Elaine Batchlor to be the hospital's first chief executive officer. She is a doctor and used to be a top medical officer for another health plan.
Hospital Services
The hospital offers many important services. It provides general care for sick people and basic emergency services. It also has services for new mothers and babies. The hospital runs health education programs to help people learn about staying healthy. Other common hospital services include X-rays, lab tests, and blood bank services.
The hospital helps a community where many people have lower incomes. Most residents are African American and Latino. South LA has fewer hospital beds for its population than other parts of Los Angeles County. Many people in this area use a government health program called Medi-Cal. This program helps people get healthcare even if they cannot pay much.
Getting to the Hospital
The hospital is easy to reach by public transportation. It is close to stations for the Metro A Line and Metro C Line trains. You can also get there using Gardena Transit and LADOT DASH buses.
See also
- Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science – right next door.
- King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science – also right next door.
- King Drew Hospital, Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center – the older hospitals that were on this site.
- History of the African-Americans in Los Angeles
