L.A. COUNTY: Labor Department Awards $1.2 Million Health Grant

      The U.S. Labor Department is awarding a $1.2 million grant to Los Angeles County to help ease the impact of a planned restructuring of the county public health system. The county Department of Health Services is planning a shift from a hospital-based delivery system to a decentralized system of clinics with an emphasis on preventive care (click here to read past coverage). The restructuring will likely affect up to 6,000 health workers. The federal grant will be used to plan for the workforce needs of the new system and to develop a small demonstration project to retrain workers for new careers. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman said, "Health care workers in L.A. County are facing possible job losses as a result of the impending restructuring. The county has the foresight to prepare now to retrain health care workers in the current system to provide the skills which will be needed by the county and by the private sector. This project protects workers and patients by ensuring continued delivery of quality health care." The grant is authorized by the dislocated workers provision of the Job Training Partnership Act, and was developed in conjunction with the Service Employees International Union, Local 660, which represents many county health care workers (Dept. of Labor release, 10/29).