Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Encyclopedia
Health services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County
are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health. The headquarters building is located on Figueroa Street
at Temple Street
in Downtown Los Angeles
.
Each hospital contains a trauma center and provides inpatient, outpatient, and emergency services for men, women, and children. The King Drew trauma center was closed in 2005 due to problems at that hospital.
The Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
provides physical therapy
services to individuals around the country.
Under Personal Health, DHS also operates numerous clinics and outpatient health centers throughout the County. These services are primarily provided to individuals without health insurance
. Many of the poor receive Medicaid
or Medicare
and choose to receive services at private doctors or non-profit clinics.
On Jan 3, 2011, Mitchell H Katz, MD, will take over as Director of Health Services for LA DHS. Katz served 13 years as director of public health for the City and County of San Francisco Department of Public Health, where he designed and implemented the "Healthy San Francisco" program covering all San Franciscans with health care. DHS has operated under an Interim Director, John F. Schunhoff, Ph.D., since the May 2008 resignation of Bruce Chernoff, MD.
Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding
, has been awarded the UCLA Medal, the university's highest honor on April 16, 2009, for his work as an innovator, leader and public health visionary. He is also a professor at the UCLA School of Public Health
.
in 1982-1985.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
tentatively approved the formation of Public Health as a separate department on May 30, 2006 and the department became separate on July 6, 2006.
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health. The headquarters building is located on Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
at Temple Street
Temple Street (Los Angeles)
Temple Street is a street in the City of Los Angeles, California. The street is an east-west thoroughfare that runs through Downtown Los Angeles parallel to the Hollywood Freeway between Virgil Avenue past Alameda Street to the banks of the Los Angeles River...
in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
.
Department of Health Services (DHS)
DHS operates four hospitals in Los Angeles County, affiliated with each of Los Angeles County's medical schools:- Harbor-UCLA Medical CenterHarbor-UCLA Medical CenterHarbor–UCLA Medical Center is a 570-bed public teaching hospital located at 1000 West Carson Street within the unincorporated Los Angeles County area of West Carson, California...
- Los Angeles County-USC Medical CenterLos Angeles County-USC Medical CenterLos Angeles County+USC Medical Center, also known as County/USC, by the abbreviation LAC+USC, or by the name Los Angeles County General, is a 600-bed public teaching hospital located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California...
- Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital
- Olive View-UCLA Medical CenterOlive View-UCLA Medical CenterOlive View-UCLA Medical Center is a hospital, funded by Los Angeles County, located in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It is one of the primary healthcare delivery systems in the north San Fernando Valley, especially the area's large indigent population...
Each hospital contains a trauma center and provides inpatient, outpatient, and emergency services for men, women, and children. The King Drew trauma center was closed in 2005 due to problems at that hospital.
The Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center is a rehabilitation hospital located in Downey, California, United States. Its name in Spanish means "Friend's Ranch". It is accredited by the Joint Commission and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities...
provides physical therapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
services to individuals around the country.
Under Personal Health, DHS also operates numerous clinics and outpatient health centers throughout the County. These services are primarily provided to individuals without health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
. Many of the poor receive Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
or Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
and choose to receive services at private doctors or non-profit clinics.
On Jan 3, 2011, Mitchell H Katz, MD, will take over as Director of Health Services for LA DHS. Katz served 13 years as director of public health for the City and County of San Francisco Department of Public Health, where he designed and implemented the "Healthy San Francisco" program covering all San Franciscans with health care. DHS has operated under an Interim Director, John F. Schunhoff, Ph.D., since the May 2008 resignation of Bruce Chernoff, MD.
Department of Public Health
Under the Department of Public Health, services are provided to all of Los Angeles County's residents. Public health programs include:- Environmental healthEnvironmental healthEnvironmental health is the branch of public health that is concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment that may affect human health...
: operates restaurant ratingRestaurant ratingRestaurant ratings identify restaurants according to their quality, using various notations such as stars or other symbols, or numbers. Stars are a familiar and popular symbol, with ratings of one to four or five stars commonly used. Ratings appear in guidebooks as well as in the media, typically...
system and grading systems for apartments and rental homes; inspects sewage treatment and water plants; enforces state and local environmental laws - Communicable disease control and prevention
- AlcoholAlcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and drug abuseDrug abuseSubstance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
programs - BioterrorismBioterrorismBioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents are bacteria, viruses, or toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form. For the use of this method in warfare, see biological warfare.-Definition:According to the...
prevention - EpidemiologyEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
- AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
prevention - Immunizations
- Family planningFamily planningFamily planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and...
- NutritionNutritionNutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
- Cancer Treatment
Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding
Jonathan Fielding
Jonathan Evan Fielding M.D., M.P.H., M.A., M.B.A. is the Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and is the Health Officer for Los Angeles County...
, has been awarded the UCLA Medal, the university's highest honor on April 16, 2009, for his work as an innovator, leader and public health visionary. He is also a professor at the UCLA School of Public Health
UCLA School of Public Health
The UCLA School of Public Health is the graduate school of public health affiliated with UCLA, and is located within the Center for Health Sciences building on the UCLA campus. UCLA is located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The dean of the school is Linda Rosenstock, MD,...
.
History
The department was part of the Los Angeles fetus disposal scandalLos Angeles fetus disposal scandal
The Los Angeles fetus disposal scandal was the 1982 discovery of over 16,000 aborted fetuses being improperly stored at Malvin Weisberg's Woodland Hills, California home and the ensuing legal battle regarding their disposal...
in 1982-1985.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five-member nonpartisan governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district. They were as of December 2, 2008:*District 1: Gloria Molina...
tentatively approved the formation of Public Health as a separate department on May 30, 2006 and the department became separate on July 6, 2006.