Local News in Brief : Hospital Hearing Delayed

The Inglewood City Council has postponed a public hearing on a request by the embattled Inglewood Women’s Hospital to rezone the facility for a planned expansion and parking lot.

Inglewood Women’s Hospital has been the target of public protest since county health officials cited it for numerous health code violations last week. Federal health officials in San Francisco have authorized a new inspection to determine whether the hospital, which performs about 1,000 abortions a month in one operating room, should have Medicare reimbursements withheld.

At the request of the Amerman Corp., the parent company of the hospital owned by Dr. Morton Barke, the council granted a continuance of the public hearing until Jan 26. Some neighbors of the hospital oppose the rezoning because they say it will exacerbate parking and congestion problems.

Council members said they are concerned with both the area residents’ complaints and questions about the quality of care at the hospital.