|
Letters to the Editor
Press Telegram
604 Pine Avenue
Long Beach, California 90844
RE: “SAVING RANCHO” Editorial
Dear Editor:
Thank you for your editorial, “Saving Rancho.” Rancho Los Amigos
provides a valuable service and must remain open to care for the
thousands of disabled patients who depend on its services. That is
why I voted against the closure of Rancho.
I asked the Board of Supervisors to support a transition of Rancho
Los Amigos to a private, not-for-profit hospital. The plan included
a 50 percent reduction in services that would save the County an
estimated $83 million over the transition period according to
Department of Health Services numbers. Closing Rancho will only save
the County $65 million over the same time period.
This conversion, confirmed by an independent report by the
California Community Foundation, would keep this nationally ranked
rehabilitation hospital open while saving the County’s health care
system the money it needs to survive. It would also allow the
hospital to expand back to its original service capacity, restricted
only by its own fundraising efforts.
It is my sincere hope that we can create an independently funded
framework to provide a bridge to independence for Rancho regardless
of the Board’s vote for closure.
Sincerely,
DON KNABE
Chairman Pro-Tem
Board of Supervisors
County of Los Angeles
### |
