Local News in Brief : Private Doctors for Olive View Approved

A resolution that will allow private doctors to practice at and admit patients to Olive View Medical Center, Los Angeles County’s new $120-million hospital in Sylmar, was approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

Under the resolution, the center was designated as a community hospital, a formality that had to be completed before hospital administrators could work out details of how and when to admit private patients. The board action also will allow private physicians who meet Olive View staff standards to receive fees for their services to the facility.

A county official said the center’s primary responsibility is to care for indigent patients and that the county has no plans to compete with private hospitals in the area. Patients with medical insurance or other financial resources might be attracted to Olive View because of its state-of-the-art technology and the expertise of its staff, officials said.

Community hospital status previously has been given to other county medical facilities, including Rancho Los Amigos in Downey, which specializes in physical rehabilitation, Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in Los Angeles and High Desert Hospital in Lancaster.

The new Olive View complex opened May 9 and is licensed for 324 beds. But it is budgeted for only 159 patients because the county now lacks funds to handle more patients.