Pulse – January 2023

Pulse – January 2023

Pulse – January 2023 150 150 Health Services Los Angeles County
Pulse 01 2023

DIRECTOR’S DESK CHRISTINA R. GHALY, MD

The new year is a good time to reflect on the previous year and plan for the new. The last year presented new challenges and opportunities and again I have been inspired by the way in which our staff have risen to the occasion and met emerging challenges with creativity, compassion and resilience. We have provided excellent care through a pandemic and ensured that the important lessons from the past inform future decisions.

As a safety net health care system, we provide care for some of the most vulnerable community members who often have multifaceted health care needs and circumstances. It is an awesome responsibility and yet as a department, we continue making strides to improve our capacity and services and ensure that we are ready when people need us. In 2022, we collectively provided over 650,000 primary care visits. We cared for nearly 314,000 individuals in our emergency rooms and over 77,000 inpatients. We provided over 830,000 specialty care visits and handled over 1.5 million patient access health care center calls. The numbers are remarkable because each one of those numbers represents an individual who came to us when they or a loved one were sick, frightened and in need of reassurance.

The annual report encapsulating these and so many other important milestones and accomplishments will be available here in February, and I encourage all of you to take a look at it and learn about the breadth of services that are provided on a daily basis. In 2022, we expanded the reach of our services through mobile clinics that meet patients where they are. We found new ways of diverting individuals from the criminal justice system into supportive environments and treatment. We streamlined our pharmacy practices to reduce wait time and identified a source of a debilitating lung disease among stone cutters in the San Fernando Valley.

In addition to that, we took deliberate steps to strengthen and support our vital human resources that make everything possible.

In this month’s edition of The Pulse, we celebrate the accomplishments of our staff including the capable staff from Harbor-UCLA who recently published a study in JAMA Surgery. LA General Medical Center recognizes a staff person who went above and beyond to help high need patients safely transfer to appropriate care.

One of our patients from Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (Rancho Los Amigos) was recently featured in a PBS documentary for his contributions to an important study using robotics. Rancho Los Amigos also shares some photos from the Lunar New Year celebration held on campus.

Finally, the Department of Health Services is participating in a new statewide program called Dementia Care Aware that is intended to improve early screening for dementia in patients over 65. With an aging population this will become increasingly important.

Thank you for all the exceptional work that you do. Together we accomplish great things.

Dr. Christina Ghaly

Rancho Los Amigos

Rancho Los Amigos Patient Featured in PBS Series

Rancho Los Amigos Patient Featured in PBS Series 876 657 Health Services Los Angeles County

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center patient and research collaborator Erik Sorto, 41 years old, was among the individuals featured in the PBS Series “Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science.”

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Dementia Care Aware logo - white 2

LAC-DHS partners with Dementia Care Aware

LAC-DHS partners with Dementia Care Aware 1024 508 Health Services Los Angeles County

The California State Department of Health Care Services has sponsored Dementia Care Aware (DCA), a training and support program that empowers primary care teams across California to assess and address dementia. Dementia Care Aware has partnered with 5 programs throughout the state: UCSF, UC Hastings College of Law, Alzheimer’s Association, UCLA, UC Irving, UCSD, and Rancho Research Institute.

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Darwin Givens Photo

The LA General Medical Center Recognizes Staff for Going Above and Beyond

The LA General Medical Center Recognizes Staff for Going Above and Beyond 899 693 Health Services Los Angeles County

LA General Medical Center would like to recognize Mr. Darwin Givens who has worked as a Medical Case Worker since 2012. He specializes in working with patients who require complex medical and psychiatric care through the Consult and Liaison Psychiatry Service.

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Lunar New Year Exhibits at RLANRC

Celebrating Lunar New Year at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center

Celebrating Lunar New Year at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center 1024 768 Health Services Los Angeles County

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center celebrated the Lunar New Year by having cultural exhibits on display in January. According to the lunisolar calendars, the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, begins on January 22, 2023.

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Hydrocodone with Acetaminophen Tablets on a Prescription Form

Research Highlight – Opioid Stewardship Program

Research Highlight – Opioid Stewardship Program 1024 683 Health Services Los Angeles County

Congratulations to physicians from LA Health Services who recently published a Research Letter in the December 14, 2022 edition of JAMA Surgery. The study was led by researchers at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and conducted at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, LA General Medical Center and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.

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Public Notice of Upcoming Accreditation Review Visit by the ACEN

Public Notice of Upcoming Accreditation Review Visit by the ACEN 1024 491 Health Services Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health wishes to announce that it will host a site visit for initial accreditation of its Associate Degree in Nursing program by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

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