Delgardo Calls Removal Unfair, Says He Had Plan

William Delgardo said Thursday that his removal this week as administrator of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center was unfair and that he has already prepared a plan for correcting scores of hospital deficiencies cited recently by state health inspectors.

Delgardo made his comments before a specially convened meeting of the Martin Luther King Jr. General Hospital Authority, which issues bonds to finance hospital construction projects.

After the meeting, Delgardo commented on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ decision Tuesday to transfer him to a new job in the downtown offices of the county Department of Health Services.

“Certainly, I don’t think it’s fair,” Delgardo told reporters.

He also said that deficiencies, which federal and state officials have found at King, exist at other county hospitals and that King has been unfairly singled out for criticism.

Earlier this week, federal officials threatened to cut off $60 million a year in public health care funds to King unless the hospital corrects scores of patient-care deficiencies by Dec. 21.

Members of the hospital authority expressed support for Delgardo. “We’d all like to see Mr. Delgardo running the hospital, but what can we do?” said Terence Lee, the panel’s president.

Asked by an authority member whether his transfer was racially motivated, Delgardo replied, “You’ll have to draw your own conclusions.”

Community activists have charged that the transfer of Delgardo, who is black, was both unfair and racist.

Reason for Meeting

Brad Pyle Jr., aide to Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, whose district includes the county-operated hospital in Watts, said Thursday’s special meeting was held to update the hospital panel on King’s future. Pyle said the panel cannot raise money for construction unless it is certain the hospital will remain open.

Delgardo told the hospital authority that he soon will submit to the state a “plan of correction” detailing how the hospital will remedy problems in the areas of nursing, dietary services, infection control, quality assurance, administration and physical plant. He said the hospital already has begun to hire additional clerical and custodial personnel.

The hospital serves hundreds of thousands of people in South-Central Los Angeles, receiving about 1,200 rescue ambulance runs a month. Delgardo said the hospital lacks sufficient funding and staffing to handle its heavy caseload.

County supervisors are replacing Delgardo with Ed Renford, former chief of staff to Carl Williams, director of hospitals in the county health department. Delgardo will become Williams’ special assistant.

Investigation Order

Earlier this month, county supervisors ordered the county health department to investigate the hospital after articles in The Times which, they said, pointed out problems in “poor administration, a lack of highly skilled medical staff, and a severe shortage of space, staff and funding to adequately deal with the increasing load” at King.

Williams is heading the investigation.

Since then, state health inspectors have issued reports citing the hospital for major breakdowns in critical areas of patient care.