I am concerned about the April 28 GRF Board of Directors’ vote of approval to allow non-residents to use the Leisure World (LW) Health Care Center. The proposal was made by the CEO of Los Alamitos Medical Center (Los Al,) Kent Clayton, who leases the LW Health Care Center.
“In order to maintain adequate patient levels to support the Medical Center and the attending physicians,” a recommendation was made to the GRF Finance Committee, who, in turn, presented the proposal to the GRF Board of Directors. Only three directors, Blake, Kravitz, and Snowden. voted against the proposal.
The questions remain:
Why didn’t the Finance Committee, chaired by Linda Stone, require Los Al to explore other options, such as hiring doctors who could meet the language requirements of the changing demographics of our community?
Why was there no impact study required first, to consider security challenges, parking challenges, and patient impact, resident-patients competing with non-residents for prime appointment times?
When residents allow “outside guests” to visit, the residents are responsible, “at all times,” for their guests. It seems highly unlikely that the LW Health Care Center has the time nor the staff to take responsibility for any non-residents it “calls through the security gates.” The disturbing fact is that the majority of the directors, LW residents themselves, capitulated so easily to an outside entity. Sadly, the apparent losers, in this rash decision by the GRF Board, are all the residents of LW.
