2 named to oversee King/Drew changes

County health officials Thursday named two executives to oversee the downsizing of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center as Harbor-UCLA Medical Center assumes control of the troubled Willowbrook hospital.

Harbor-UCLA head Tecla Mickoseff was tapped to be interim chief executive of the integrated hospitals while remaining in her current role.

King/Drew’s top executive, Antionette Smith Epps, has been chosen to oversee King/Drew’s transformation and stay on to run the new, smaller facility.

In a statement, county health chief Dr. Bruce Chernof described Mickoseff and Smith Epps, who both interviewed for the positions, as “seasoned leaders of resolve and vision.” County health officials will conduct a national search for a permanent manager of the merged facilities.

The hiring decisions weren’t surprising and probably were made with some federal guidance, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, whose district includes King/Drew hospital.

“I am very delighted to see that, first of all, everyone has accepted the responsibilities,” Burke said. “That’s a lot to ask of anyone.”

The supervisor described Mickoseff as running “a tight ship” and praised Smith Epps for stepping in to lead King/Drew at a tumultuous time when she came on board in August 2005.

“The two of them working together ... can really get something done,” Burke said.

The so-called MetroCare plan to shrink King/Drew and put it under the control of Harbor-UCLA, near Torrance, was approved this fall after the facility near Watts failed a critical federal inspection, putting $200 million in jeopardy. Medicare officials then extended the funding deadline to March 31.

susannah.rosenblatt@latimes .com