Edgardo Flores - RIPE

Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to instruct the Medical Examiner-Coroner to begin sending letters to doctors notifying them if their patient has died from an opioid overdose. Supervisor Janice Hahn and her coauthor Supervisor Hilda L. Solis proposed the new policy after an innovative study in San Diego showed that these types of letters reduce opioid prescriptions.

“This is a simple concept that works,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “When San Diego tried sending out these letters, doctors who learned about patient overdoses chose to reduce the number of opioids they prescribed.  This is a creative and easy strategy that will save lives and I am eager to implement it in LA County.”

Of the 72,000 Americans who died from opioid overdoses in 2017, the CDC estimates that nearly half died as a result of an opioid that was prescribed to them by a physician.   To prevent addiction and accidental overdoses, educating physicians on the importance of safe prescribing practices is key. However, there has been a critical information gap. Physicians often had no way of knowing whether a prescription they wrote ultimately led to the death of their patient.

“The County Medical Examiner-Coroner is taking a proactive approach in attempting to curb the County’s opioid epidemic. This is exactly the kind of innovative action we need right now to effectively combat our region’s opioid crisis and help save lives,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, who co-authored the motion. “Implementation of this simple but effective preventative program, which will influence physicians’ behavior when prescribing opioids, could be life-saving.”

Before becoming LA County Chief Medical Examiner- Coroner, Dr. Jonathan Lucas was working as Chief Deputy Medical Examiner in San Diego where he co-authored the groundbreaking study.  The medical examiner’s office began sending letters to doctors informing them when their patients died of opioid overdoses. The researchers then studied the doctors’ prescriptions following receiving the letter and found that doctors who received a letter wrote 10% fewer opioid prescriptions over the 3-month study period. Now, Dr. Lucas will use these results to implement a similar program in LA County.

“Awareness works,” Dr. Jonathan Lucas said. “Alerting doctors about patient overdose deaths is a unique opportunity for the department to have an impact on public health, effect change and potentially save lives.”

The letters will be informative, non-judgmental, and educational. They aim to alert providers about the potential dangers of opioid medications and how common death from misuse of these medications is in Los Angeles County.  After an opioid related death, letters will be sent to all prescribers who wrote an opioid prescription to the deceased that was filled during the twelve months prior to their death.

Letters are expected to begin being sent in December 2018

Los Angeles, CA— The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have approved an additional $1.4 million of funding to keep the UCLA Mobile Stroke Unit in operation across LA County so it can continue to save lives and break new ground in the treatment of stroke patients.

The UCLA Mobile Stroke Unit is a specially equipped ambulance, built with a mobile CT scanner, point-of-care lab tests, telehealth connection with a vascular neurologist, and therapies, all designed to deliver proven stroke treatments to patients long before they arrive at the hospital. Since its launch in September of 2017, this single Mobile Stroke Unit has responded to 632 9-1-1 calls and treated and transported 153 patients across LA County. Of the patients treated, 119 were diagnosed with strokes and were able to benefit from the quick treatment provided by the Mobile Stroke Unit. 

“When it comes to a stroke, minutes matter,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “If this Mobile Stroke Unit can get to a patient and treat them quickly—that person has a better chance of not only surviving but also avoiding the debilitating brain damage a stroke can cause. With this funding we can keep this Mobile Stroke Unit on the road, saving lives in LA County, while Dr. May Nour and her team work to change the way we treat stoke patients forever.”

The UCLA Mobile Stroke Unit is one of seven programs across the country participating in a national demonstration project aimed at evaluating the clinical benefit, cost effectiveness and health care utilization of this specialized resource.  It is sponsored by the Arline and Henry Gluck Foundation in partnership with Los Angeles County. The program was set to end in early 2021, but the additional funding will allow it to continue operating through 2021 as the UCLA Mobile Stroke Rescue Program works to get approval to bill insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid for its clinical services in the future.

“I am endlessly grateful for support from Supervisor Janice Hahn and the County Board of Supervisors in collaboration with LA County EMS/DHS which have allowed for continued clinical operations of the Mobile Stroke Unit,” said Dr. May Nour, Medical Director of the Arline & Henry Gluck Mobile Stroke Rescue Program. “I remain optimistic that following completion of the demonstration period for the unit, we will one day realize the dream of an LA County fleet of MSUs to offer conclusive pre-hospital diagnosis, hyperacute life and brain saving treatments, and precise patient hospital routing. Witnessing the determination and courage of stroke victors as they make their way to meaningful recovery drives us in the field each day.” 

The UCLA Mobile Stroke Unit operates seven days a week on a rotating schedule between 3 geographic sites in the County of Los Angeles: the Western Site (Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, rendezvous with patients transported from the Malibu to the city of Santa Monica), the Southern Site (Hawaiian Gardens, Signal Hill, Long Beach, Lakewood, La Mirada, Cerritos, Artesia, Bellflower, Paramount, unincorporated Whittier) and the most recently launched, South Bay Site (Torrance, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Gardena, Carson).

The motion which passed unanimously allocates $1,000,000 of one-time Measure B funding as well as $400,000 from Supervisor Hahn’s 4th District Provisional Financing Uses budget to extend the operations of the UCLA Health Mobile Stroke Unit pilot program.

Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have voted to transfer $25.5 million to the Sheriff’s Department for implementation of the new body worn camera program. The motion was authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger and will cover the first year of the program at five stations across the county starting as early as October. 

“Body-worn cameras are an important tool for transparency and will give us a clearer understanding of the interactions between our deputies and members of the public,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “However, we need to recognize that body-worn cameras do not prevent violence or, in themselves, guarantee accountability. This move needs to be accompanied by real accountability, real reform, and real reflection.”

Over the past four years, the Board has set aside a total of $35 million to purchase body-worn cameras. On August 11th, 2020, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department finalized an agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for enough cameras to equip 5,200 deputies and security officers with the devices over the next two years. 

“To build trust between our law enforcement officers and community members, transparency is key,” Supervisor Barger said. “Allocating funds for body-worn cameras to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies is a critical step to rebuild relationships and accountability. Because of persistence from the Board of Supervisors and commitment of communities, 5,200 deputies and security officers will have access to these necessary devices.”

The motion approved today authorizes $25.5 million (which includes $12.3 million in ongoing funding and $13.2 million in one-time funding) of the funding set aside to be given to the Sheriff’s Department for the first year of the body-worn camera program.  This will allow the Sheriff’s Department to move forward with implementing the cameras in October starting with 5 stations: West Hollywood, Lancaster, Lakewood, Industry, and the Century Station.   The next phase will include ten additional stations beginning January 1, 2021.

San Pedro, CA — Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has appointed Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, to serve on the LA County Economic Resiliency Task Force charged with helping guide the County’s approach to re-opening the economy.

The Task Force includes 13 representatives from different sectors of LA County’s economy. Each of the 13 representatives will chair working groups focused on reopening and revitalizing their specific sector or industry. Supervisor Hahn requested that Commodities and Goods Movement be represented on the task force. Mr. Cordero will represent this sector on the task force as well as chair the Commodities and Goods Movement working group.

“Our Ports are some of our biggest economic powerhouses here in LA County and we can’t leave their needs out of our plans for economic recovery,” said Hahn. “Mario has been a leader and a pioneer in his industry for decades – he will be able to use his expertise to guide our policy as we kickstart our economy and get people back to work as quickly and safely as we can.

As Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, Mr. Cordero reports to the Board and leads the Port’s Harbor Department staff of more than 500 with a budget of $982 million for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

Prior to his role as Executive Director, Mr. Cordero served as a member, vice president and president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners for eight years, before resigning to accept President Barack Obama’s appointment to the Federal Maritime Commission in 2011. He served on the FMC until his appointment as Executive Director in May 2017 and was FMC Chairman from April 2013 to January 2017.

Supervisor Janice Hahn’s other appointees to the LA County Economic Resiliency Task Force can be seen here. The Task Force’s next meeting is on June 2nd.

San Pedro, CA – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is taking steps to protect college students experiencing food insecurity. Today the Board unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn to send a letter to federal leaders in support of suspending the strict eligibility requirements for college students applying for SNAP benefits. The letter will be sent to members of the Senate and House leadership, Chairs and Ranking Members of the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee, and the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded program that provides anti-hunger benefits to eligible participants. In California, it is known as Calfresh. Currently, college students’ eligibility for these benefits is limited unless they meet certain exceptions, such as working at least 20 hours a week or taking part in a state or federally financed work study program. However, many college students have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 crisis.

“During normal times, these restrictions already create unnecessary barriers for college students facing food insecurity,” said Supervisor Hahn, who authored the motion. “During a worldwide pandemic, they are simply unjustifiable. With campuses closed and job losses at record levels, it will be difficult if not impossible for students to meet the requirements of work hour requirements. Unless we take action now to eliminate the barriers placed by these SNAP eligibility requirements, many more college students in LA County and across the nation will go hungry.”

Read the full motion here.

California State University (CSU) Study of Students Basic Needs released in January 2018 found that 41.6 percent of CSU students reported food insecurity. According to that same study, close to 70% of CSU students would be eligible for CalFresh based on their household income alone. However, when the stricter requirements placed on college students were considered, less than half of those in financial need would qualify.

Los Angeles, CA — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted Right of Recall and Worker Retention policies to protect workers in the janitorial, maintenance, security service, and hospitality industries in unincorporated LA County during this pandemic.

The “Right of Recall” ordinance ensures that workers who are laid off due to the pandemic have first right of recall to their jobs, when their employer is ready to bring employees back. The “Worker Retention” ordinance ensures that workers would get to keep their jobs in the event the business they work for gets sold because of the pandemic.

“These added protections give workers who have built careers and livelihoods in industries that have been absolutely decimated by this pandemic, the peace of mind that, as these businesses start to come back, their jobs will still be there for them,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn, who authored the motion.

The ordinances would only apply to hotels in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County that contain 50 or more guestrooms or has earned gross receipts in 2019 exceeding $5 million, as well as businesses that employ 25 or more janitorial, maintenance or security service workers. Any of these employers that have a collective bargaining agreement in place would be exempt.

“This pandemic has highlighted the need to further strengthen protections for our workforce, particularly those in the leisure, hospitality, and retail industries. Workers in these industries are overwhelmingly people of color, who are already severely impacted by COVID-19, and we need to provide these hardworking employees and their families necessary protections at this critical time,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, who co-authored the motion. “This effort to protect these workers started 30 years with the launch of the Justice for Janitors campaign and now it culminates with a Board motion and ordinance that recognize that workers deserve to earn living wages and be safe during this pandemic. By adopting these permanent Right of Recall and Worker Retention policies, we will ensure people will have jobs to come back to once it’s time to return to work.”

Workers will have five days to respond to a recall notice. An amendment was made to the ordinance to ensure that workers who cannot return to work due to health concerns may use their remaining sick leave before accepting their job back.

Moreover, the ordinance leaves it to businesses to determine what jobs they need to bring back and at what time so that they can offer those jobs to the employees who meet the job description they need.