Health

Cutting-edge ambulances treating patients in South Bay, Gateway Cities, Westside, and San Fernando Valley

Torrance, CA—Today, in a significant expansion of emergency stroke care across Los Angeles County, Supervisor Janice Hahn and UCLA Health unveiled two new highly-advanced Mobile Stroke Units that will respond to medical emergencies across LA County, allowing stroke specialists to diagnose and treat stroke patients in the field – saving brain function and lives.

“After a stroke, every minute counts,” said Supervisor Hahn, a long-time advocate for the Mobile Stroke Unit program. “The faster we can get patients the treatment they need, the better their chances of survival and of avoiding long-term brain damage. With three Mobile Stroke Units now serving LA County, we’re giving more residents a fighting chance to recover fully after a stroke and live healthy lives.”

A 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 faster than ever before. Physicians on the unit can administer clot-busting drugs to patients in the field, long before they get to an emergency room.

The two new Mobile Stroke Units join an existing unit that UCLA Health has operated in partnership with LA County since 2017 and has responded to more than 2,000 calls and treated more than 360 patients. The new ambulances will allow the program to provide more coverage to 33 communities on the Westside, the South Bay, Long Beach, and the Gateway Cities and to eventually expand its coverage area. Beginning in August, the third ambulance will serve the San Fernando Valley, which has been identified by the Stroke Rescue Program as one of the major geographic areas with high incidence of stroke.

“The expansion of our LA County Mobile Stroke Unit fleet represents a major leap forward in equitable prehospital stroke care,” said Dr. May Nour. “By bringing advanced imaging and treatment directly to patients in the field, we’re shortening the time to diagnosis and intervention when every minute matters. This isn’t just about technology; it’s about delivering lifesaving care where and when it is needed most.”

For every minute that passes following the onset of a stroke, 2 million brain cells die. A study published in 2021 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that treatment in a mobile stroke ambulance leads to better patient outcomes, both immediately and three months later.

With her work championing Mobile Stroke Units, Supervisor Janice Hahn is building on the legacy of her father, Supervisor Kenny Hahn. The late-Supervisor started the nation’s first paramedic program which began as a way to treat heart attack patients in the field, before they arrived at a hospital, improving their health outcomes. Her father later suffered a stroke and was partially paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Nationwide, nearly 800,000 people experience a stroke each year — one every 40 seconds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Around 87% of these are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked by a clogged artery or blood clot. The remainder are hemorrhagic strokes, which occur when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds. Mobile stroke ambulances have the capabilities to treat both types.

The UCLA Mobile Stroke Unit acquired the two new ambulances with funds from two philanthropic donations. The Brett Torino Foundation donated $6 million to add the second ambulance, which will serve the San Fernando Valley. Heidi and Larry Canarelli of Las Vegas donated an additional $6 million for UCLA to acquire the third ambulance that will be stationed in Westwood.

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Supervisor Janice Hahn and Supervisor Holly Mitchell at this morning’s press conference.

More than 134,000 Los Angeles County residents will begin receiving notices next week as a part of the first wave of medical debt relief, marking a significant step in addressing the financial strain caused by medical costs. The notices, sent by LA County and national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt inform the resident that their medical debt has been permanently retired and offer helpful information for individuals who need help with additional medical bills or are seeking financial assistance.

The amount of debt being relieved through this first round of notices is $183,580,711.32.

Launched in December 2024, the Los Angeles County Medical Debt Relief Program provides immediate financial relief by purchasing and eliminating medical debt for qualifying residents. Through an initial $5 million investment approved by the LA County Board of Supervisors, the program aims to retire $500 million in medical debt for low-income residents, with plans to eliminate up to $2 billion by seeking additional contributions from philanthropic partners, hospitals, and health plans. Through this program, Undue Medical Debt acquires qualifying debts in bulk for a fraction of their face value from provider partners like hospitals and health systems along with collection agencies, meaning on average one dollar can erase $100 or more of medical debt.

“If you get a letter in the mail from LA County and Undue Medical Debt this week—open it. We’ve eliminated medical debt for more than 134,000 residents, no strings attached. This is real relief, and it’s hitting mailboxes soon,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn, who authored the motion to launch the program. “This is LA County government at its best. We are seizing an opportunity and making a smart financial decision to make people’s lives better.”

“Medical debt should never stand between our residents and the care they need. This first wave of LA County’s Medical Debt Relief – over $183 million – represents more than just numbers; it’s a commitment to removing the weight of a crushing financial burden, that perpetuates health and financial disparities,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “We are committed to tackling the root causes of medical debt, so no one has to choose between seeing a doctor or putting food on the table.”

Eligible residents will receive an Undue Medical Debt and Los Angeles County branded envelope in the mail without any need to apply. The program also includes preventive measures to reduce future medical debt through improved eligibility tools for financial assistance programs and increased access to resources.

This medical debt relief is source-based, meaning only qualifying debts held by participating providers or collectors can be canceled. Relief cannot be requested. To qualify for relief, current LA County residents must be either four times (400%) or below the federal poverty level or have medical debt that totals 5% or more of their annual income.

While relief is beginning to reach many residents, new data shows that medical debt continues to impact nearly 882,000 adults in LA County—about 1 in 9 residents—underscoring the importance of ongoing efforts to support residents.

Key findings from an updated analysis include:
• Medical debt prevalence increased to 11.1% of LA County adults in 2023 from 10.0% in 2022
• Over half (51%) of adults with medical debt have taken on credit card debt to pay medical bills
• Among those with medical debt, 45% report were unable to afford basic necessities, and 72% skipped needed medical care
• Medical debt affects people across insurance statuses, with the uninsured particularly vulnerable (29.4%)
• 42% of the medical debt burden falls on adults living below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level

Significant disparities persist, with Latino/Latine, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and multiracial adults disproportionately affected by this financial burden.

“Medical debt continues to be a significant burden for too many LA County residents, with the total debt estimated at over $2.9 billion in 2023 in LA County—a staggering amount that has not decreased despite gains in insurance coverage,” said Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “While the launch of the Medical Debt Relief Program now brings relief letters to thousands of residents, we continue to work with hospitals and health care providers to improve the quality of financial assistance programs and debt collection practices so that those with limited means are not facing financial distress for seeking medical care. Thanks to the leadership of Supervisors Hahn and Mitchell and to the partnership with Undue Medical Debt, LA County is able to bring real and lasting relief to residents across the County.”

A key component of existing efforts to reduce medical debt accumulation rests in ensuring that hospitals and health care providers have robust systems in place to help those with few resources manage a chronic illness and/or medical emergency. To assist with these efforts, the LA County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance on September 10, 2024 requiring hospitals in unincorporated Los Angeles to report on debt and financial assistance activities. On April 29, 2025, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously advanced a motion, led by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, to extend medical debt data collection to 34 additional hospitals within the City limits. This expansion builds upon efforts to improve the quality of financial assistance programs and debt collection practices in order to reduce medical debt by the LA County Board of Supervisors in September 2024 which apply to hospitals in unincorporated areas.

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For more information about medical debt in LA County, visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/hccp/medicalDebt/prevent.htm

Data will be used to develop strategies to reduce the burden of medical debt on LA County residents

Los Angeles, CA– Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to move forward with a new ordinance championed by Supervisor Janice Hahn that will require hospitals to report data on medical debt with the goal of identifying gaps in financial assistance and reducing the burden of medical debt on LA County residents in the future.

“Too many LA County residents have medical debt that they can’t afford and it is holding them back,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn who has led a broader effort on the Board to take on medical debt. “If we can get data from hospitals on the patients who are burdened by medical debt and being sent to collections, we can begin to figure out how to tackle this problem going forward.”

Medical debt exceeds $2.9 billion for LA County residents, impacting one in ten adults in 2022 and disproportionately affecting families with children, lower-income, Latino, Black, American Indian, and Pacific Islander residents, and people with chronic health conditions. Approximately 46% of this debt belongs to individuals with income under 200% of the federal poverty line.

Currently, hospitals report limited data to the State on the amount of financial assistance provided to their patients. However, the reporting does not include aggregate data on medical debt collections making it impossible to identify trends related to medical debt or gaps where financial assistance could help low-income patients in need.

The ordinance approved today is the result of a motion authored by Supervisor Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Holly Mitchell. It will require the seven acute care hospitals in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County to submit aggregate data on debt collection and financial assistance operations, as well as requiring hospitals to report on patients accounts advanced to collections. The ordinance complies with HIPAA and includes privacy protections so that data will not include any health information regarding diagnosis or treatment.

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“Financial security is a key social determinant of health and medical debt erodes a person’s ability to take care of their financial and physical health. We thank the Board for working to advance solutions to this distressing issue,” said Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, who presented at today’s meeting. “By partnering with community organizations, consumers, hospitals, and healthcare plans to develop comprehensive strategies, we are working together to strengthen protections for health care consumers.”

This ordinance comes on the heels of a unanimous vote in June to approve Hahn’s proposal to develop and launch a $5 million pilot program to purchase and eliminate $500 million worth of medical debt for 150,000 LA County residents.

“I want to tackle the medical debt issue from all angles,” continued Hahn. “That means coming up with innovative ways to eliminate existing debt for struggling families, while also figuring out how to better structure financial assistance in the future so that we can prevent people from taking on huge amounts of medical debt in the first place.”

The ordinance will need a second reading at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting before it goes into effect. First reporting is due from hospitals 180 days after the ordinance goes into effect.

A $5 million investment will eliminate an estimated $500 million of debt for 150,000 people

Los Angeles, CA—Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal by Supervisor Janice Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Holly Mitchell which identifies funding to launch a pilot program to eliminate medical debt for some struggling LA County residents. The pilot program will use $5 million to eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars of debt.

“No one should be driven into poverty because they got sick. But medical debt remains a huge problem in this country, and it can be devastating for families and their financial well-being,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn who has championed efforts to address medical debt for LA County residents. “Luckily for us, we have an opportunity to make a difference. We can purchase medical debt for cents on the dollar and eliminate this burden for tens of thousands of people for a small fraction of what they collectively owe. I think we have a moral obligation to seize this opportunity to help these LA County families.”

Medical debt is often bundled and sold at steep discounts to companies who profit off of collecting on that debt. Since 2014, the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt has leveraged donations to purchase medical debts much like a collection company would, but instead of trying to collect on the debt, they cancel the debt entirely. On average, $1 can purchase and eliminate $100 of medical debt.

Under Hahn and Mitchell’s proposal, LA County will partner with Undue Medical Debt to launch a medical debt elimination pilot program specifically targeting lower income LA County residents. The Department of Public Health estimates that with the up to $5 million identified today for the pilot program, LA County could eliminate $500 million of medical debt for 150,000 lower-income residents.

“I’m proud that the County is taking steps to help remove the weight of medical debt that strains countless families’ finances, stability, and health. This initial investment of $5 million towards eliminating crippling medical debt will significantly help our most vulnerable residents, many of whom have chronic illnesses and are struggling to pay huge out-of-pocket expenses,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing the Second District. “I want to thank the Department of Public Health for collaborating with community and hospital partners to implement this pilot program. I look forward to its transformative impact on our communities.”

In addition to identifying funding, the approved motion allows the Department of Public Health to enter into an agreement with Undue Medical Debt to design and execute the pilot program. Details regarding the pilot program, partnerships with the hospital association and other key stakeholders, and the timeline will be worked out and announced in the coming months. Once the medical debt pilot program is completed, the Department of Public Health will report back to the Board on its effectiveness and potential scalability.

“I want to express my gratitude to the Board of Supervisors for their commitment to this important initiative,” Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “By launching this pilot program to eliminate medical debt for an estimated 150,000 residents and working in partnership with community organizations, health care providers, and health plans to prevent continued accumulation of debt, Los Angeles County is seeking to advance equity and compassion for those who are in need of care. This effort is about more than alleviating financial stress—it is about removing barriers to health that disproportionately affect residents in many communities.”

Medical debt exceeds $2.9 billion for LA County residents, impacting one in ten adults in 2022 and disproportionately affecting families with children, lower-income, Latino, Black, American Indian, and Pacific Islander residents, and people with chronic health conditions. Medical debt has been shown to impede patients’ ability to access necessary healthcare and treatment, creating a cycle of health and financial hardship which affects employment stability, housing security, and overall quality of life.

This pilot program is part of a larger strategy being developed by Los Angeles County to reduce the burden of medical debt. Last October, the Board approved a motion by Hahn and Mitchell directing County Departments to take initial action, research existing strategies, and report back with recommendations for further policies that can reduce medical debt in Los Angeles County. In response to this motion, County Departments began working with the Medical Debt Coalition on potential strategies to prevent and reduce medical debt for LA County residents culminating in the LA County Medical Debt Summit held in April.

At this summit, stakeholders and experts came together to outline a collective approach to eliminate the burden of medical debt, which includes County interventions, provider engagement, community action, legislative advocacy, data collection, operational improvements, and expanding consumer resources. One key strategy pushed at the summit and in the Department of Public Health’s subsequent report back was a targeted pilot program for medical debt relief. In a letter to the attendees of the Medical Debt Summit, Vice President Kamala Harris also highlighted the Biden Administration’s support of the cities and states that relieved billions in medical debt for millions of Americans.

Read the full motion here: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/192686.pdf

Read the Department of Public Health’s Medical Debt in LA County 2023 report: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/chie/reports/Medical_Debt_Report_English.pdf

Read the Department of Public Health’s Medical Debt in LA County 2024 update:
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/hccp/docs/Medical_Debt_Update_Jan24_English.pdf

San Pedro, CA – Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is celebrating a vote by the LA Care Board of Governors to award a $2 million grant to Catalina Island Health. The grant funding will allow the Avalon hospital to remain open through December.

“This small hospital not only provides essential healthcare for island residents, it is the only source of emergency care on the island for millions of tourists,” said Supervisor Hahn, who represents Catalina Island on the Board of Supervisors. “It would be catastrophic if this hospital were to close. I want to thank LA Care CEO John Baackes for his leadership in this effort and I applaud the LA Care Board of Governors, especially my colleague Supervisor Hilda Solis, for coming to Catalina Island Health’s aid and making sure their doors remain open for patients. I am committed to working on a long-term solution to keep this hospital operating in the future.”

Catalina Island Health has faced serious financial challenges with the CEO predicting insolvency as soon as June of this year. The grant awarded today allows the hospital to avert imminent closure. The hospital is the sole provider of emergency, primary, and lifesaving care for residents and visitors to Catalina Island.

Los Angeles, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Board Chair Janice Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Holly Mitchell aimed at reducing the burden of medical debt on county residents. Strategies the County will pursue include requiring hospitals to share debt-collection and financial assistance data with the County and the public, new policies to reduce accumulation of debt, and exploring an innovative proposal to purchase residents’ debt for a small fraction of its value and retiring it.
“Medical debt is something that is largely out of people’s control, but it is devasting families here in LA County,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “It is contributing to poverty and homelessness and forcing too many people to delay medical care or avoid filling prescriptions. Helping families with the burden of medical debt would pay dividends.”
When families rack up medical debt, hospitals sell it for pennies on the dollar on a secondary market to companies that profit from collecting on that debt. In recent years, groups such as RIP Medical Debt have worked with other jurisdictions, such as Cook County, to purchase and retire medical debt for qualifying individuals from their local hospitals for a fraction of the value of the debt.
According to RIP Medical Debt, the retirement of $100 of medical debt costs an average of $1. The Department of Public Health estimates that an investment of $24 million could retire $2 billion in medical debt for LA County residents.
Through today’s motion, the Board will receive a report in 90 days on the feasibility of purchasing and retiring County residents’ medical debt as well as potential County, State, Federal, and philanthropic funding sources to support this endeavor.
“Far too many people in my district, particularly our essential workers, Black, Latinx, and low-income families with children, have been burdened by medical debt,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell. “In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must continue to be creative in offering strategic and innovative solutions across our County departments. This motion brings us a significant step closer towards better understanding the full scale of this challenge and applying proven strategies that have been done in other counties to help prevent and relieve medical debt for our constituents.”
The motion passed today also directs the development of a new ordinance that will require hospitals within Los Angeles County to provide data related to debt-collection and financial assistance which will be shared publicly in a new online dashboard for patients. County departments will also study and recommend new policies and practices to reduce residents’ medical debt including improving access to financial and legal assistance.
Approximately one in ten County adults face burdensome medical debt, with the total amount of medical debt held by Los Angeles County residents estimated to be greater than $2.6 billion. This medical debt disproportionately affects lower-income residents and Latino, Black, and Native or mixed-race communities, families with children and those with chronic health conditions. According to a report by the LA County Department of Public Health, residents with medical debt are more likely to experience food insecurity and housing instability, with nearly half reporting inability to pay for necessities because of their medical bills.
“Medical debt prevents people from seeking medical care and prescriptions and contributes to food and housing insecurity,” said Western Center on Law and Poverty Executive Director Crystal Crawford and Senior Attorney Helen Tran in a letter of support for the motion. “These health and financial harms can be avoided and corrected with the right policies. That is why we support this motion and the County’s willingness to take affirmative steps to reduce medical debt at a population health level.”
“Medical debt remains a public health emergency in Los Angeles County and serves as a consequential deterrent and social determinant when it comes to patients seeking appropriate and timely medical care. The physicians on Los Angeles County stand in solidarity and support with the LA County Board of Supervisors, the Department of Public Health, and many others to address this crisis,” said Dr. Jerry P Abraham, President of the Los Angeles County Medical Association.
Read the full motion here: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/184546.pdf