Name of the project
- Access to pediatric emergency services in South Los Angeles: The effect of a county hospital closure
Project abstract/brief description
- Background: South Los Angeles has among the poorest health outcomes in the nation and is a community already ill prepared for emergencies and with inadequate healthcare access. In August 2007, the emergency department at Martin Luther King Jr. County Medical Center closed. This was the seventh emergency department to close since 2004 in the South Los Angeles area.
Objectives: To describe the challenges for parents in South Los Angeles to find emergency services for children since the recent emergency room closures.
Methods: In Spring 2008, parents and caregivers of children living in South Los Angeles were surveyed by phone and in person about their experiences accessing pediatric emergency care since August 2007.
Results: Of those surveyed (N=60), 65% reported taking their children for emergency care since August 2007. While most of the respondent reported living within 10 minutes of the closed County Medical Center (71.8%), most traveled much farther to get to emergency care (58.8% traveled 10-30 minutes and 29.9% traveled > 30 minutes). Also, 32% reported they delayed seeking care (77.7% delayed seeking care > 1 day and 33.3% delayed > 3 days). Top reasons for delaying were, not having their own transportation or somewhere else was too far away.
Conclusions: Following a recent reduction in emergency services, parents in South Los Angeles are traveling far outside of their community and delaying to seek emergency services for their children. This study has policy implications for enhancing access to pediatric emergency services in South Los Angeles.
Name of Principal Investigator
Department/division/center/school in which the project is based
- Department of Pediatrics, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Primary institution in which this project is based
- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
Name and email address for the Project Director / Manager, or person responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of this project
If we were to request additional information about this project, please provide the name of the person to contact and his/her email address
- Project Director / Manager listed above
Are there any Co-Investigators on this project?
Please name all Co-Investigators and their institutional affiliation
- Co-Investigator - Institutional affiliation
- Susan Wu, MD , Department of Pediatrics, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
- Co-Investigator - Institutional affiliation
- Jasmine Eugenio, MD, Martin Luther King Medical Center Pediatrics
Which, if any, of the following institutions are you partnering with for this project?
- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
- Other (please specify)
For each partner institution listed, please indicate the specific department / division / institute / center with which you are partnering
- Jasmine Eugenio, MD, Martin Luther King Medical Center Pediatrics Assistance in survey design and project design and objectives
Are you collaborating with any other academic, clinical or community organizations on this project?
List any academic, clinical and / or community organizations with which you are collaborating. Please include each partner organization's location
- Organization and Location (city and state)
Which institutional IRBs have reviewed and approved this project?
- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
Which of the following best characterizes the agency(ies) funding this project? (IF THIS IS A SUBCONTRACT, PLEASE IDENTIFY THE CORE FUNDING SOURCE, e.g., NIH, CDC, etc.)
What year does / did funding begin?
What year does/did funding end?
Which of the following best describes the project's thematic focus?
- Access to care
- Reducing healthcare disparities
- Health policy
In what context do your project activities (e.g. data collection) take place?
- Clinic or other ambulatory healthcare setting
- Social service agency/community-based organization
- Other community (please specify)
How would you classify this project?
Please indicate which of the following best characterizes the type of research you are conducting?
Which of the following best characterizes your study design?
What type of data collection methods are used?
- Data collected from existing dataset (secondary data collection/analysis)
- Surveys
- Individual open-ended (qualitative) interviews
Which services does your program provide?
- NOT a service project - Research only
How many participants will be/were recruited to participate in your research or service program over the funding/study period?
Which of the following best describe the population this project targets?
Which of the following best describes the age groups this project targets?
- Infants/children (0-11 years)
- Adolescents (12-18 years)
Which of the following best describes the racial/ethnic characteristics of the project participants?
- White/Caucasian
- Black/African American
- Latino/Hispanic
Please provide any additional characteristics of your project participants that are specific to the goals of the project, e.g., low-income, un-insured, incarcerated, pregnant/parenting teens, populations with disabilities, specific conditions, etc.
Which of the following best describes the location(s) in which this project takes/took place?
In which LA County Service Planning Area (SPA) do/did your project activities take place?
In which locations outside LA County do your project activities take place?
Does this project have an advisory board?
How often does your advisory board meet?
Please indicate which of the following best describes the membership of this project's advisory board?
Which of the following best describe the type of guidance your advisory group provides for your project?
In what ways, if any, has your project disseminated information about your project, including findings and lessons learned?
- Web-based dissemination
- National/international conferences
- Presentations/in-service training to academic audiences
- Presentations/in-service training to community social service providers and schools
- Other (please specify)
Which dissemination activities do you/did you find to be most effective?
- Presentation to invited policymakers at conference hosted by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Supervisor elect for SPA-6 attended and was able to receive the message of the project findings and recommendations for his community