BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1303
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 20, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                    AB 1303 (Hall) - As Amended:  April 14, 2009  

          Policy Committee:                              Health Vote:17-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to  
          convene a stakeholder group to assist in development of an  
          implementation plan for the possible reopening of Martin Luther  
          King, Jr. Hospital (MLKH) in Los Angeles. Requires a report to  
          the Legislature about local government roles, funding, and  
          development of the hospital as an academic medical center. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Absorbable workload of less than $50,000 to DPH to convene the  
          stakeholder group and report to the Legislature on the MLKH  
          implementation plan. 

           COMMENTS  

           Rationale  . This bill requires DPH to convene a stakeholder group  
          to support planning processes related to the reopening of MLKH,  
          in the Watts area of Los Angeles county. In the fall of 2007  
          serious patient safety and federal funding concerns led the  
          county Board of Supervisors to close the hospital, leaving more  
          than 1.5 million residents in LA county with no in-patient or  
          primary care. In recent months, state health administrators have  
          been discussing reopening MLKH as a non-profit affiliated with  
          the University of California. This bill will aid in the effort  
          to re-open the hospital with respect to government roles,  
          funding, and MLKH as a teaching hospital. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081