Drew University Announces Reorganization of Board of Trustees
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science on Wednesday announced plans to "restructure" the school's board of trustees, which has been "criticized for blocking needed changes and fostering poor communication" with administrators at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reports. The reorganization of the board "came on the heels" of a letter sent by Assembly member Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton) to Chair Dr. Carole Jordan-Harris, according to the Times. The letter said that there was "a consensus among black elected officials ... that the entire membership of the Drew board of trustees should resign," except for three members who are needed to stay to establish a legal quorum. Dymally said that his letter was endorsed by two members of Congress and a majority of the California Legislative Black Caucus, including Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.) and Assembly member Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles). Pat Miller, deputy health adviser to Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, said she believed that Jordan-Harris had agreed to the suggestion and was working with lawyers to see how it could be done. Jordan-Harris could not be reached for comment.
In related news, Brathwaite Burke on Wednesday apologized before an audience at King/Drew, saying that she was "deeply sorry" for the instances of poor care at the hospital and promised that she would work to address issues at the hospital (Landsberg, Los Angeles Times, 4/29).
KPCC's "KPCC News" on Monday reported on King/Drew's upcoming CMS inspections, which could take place this week. The segment includes comments from Steven Chickering, manager of hospital and community care operations at CMS San Francisco regional office; Jeff Flick, regional administrator for the same office; and Fred Leaf, chief operating officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (Rabe, "KPCC News," KPCC, 4/26). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
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