The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times called for Los Angeles-based Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital to receive the funding it needs to remain afloat, as the the future of the hospital remains uncertain.
In the Nov. 21 op-ed, the Times said that the privately run hospital, which opened in 2015, has provided better care and management than its publicly owned predecessor. However, according to the Times, the hospital serves a largely uninsured population and relies on a funding structure that does not account for inflation.
For the budget year ending in June, the hospital lost $42 million, putting it at risk of closure.
"These and other services represent the sort of investment in public health, mental health and medical care that county government has made the foundation of its 'care first' mission in the last decade," the editorial board said. "The state ought to back these investments with commitments of its own."