Supervisors OK County-USC AIDS Ward

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to establish a specialized AIDS ward at County-USC Medical Center, endorsing a concept that has become an emotional rallying point among advocates for AIDS care in the county.

The county Department of Health Services, which endorsed the idea for a dedicated AIDS ward, is to report back in 30 days with a plan detailing how it will be done.

The ward is intended to improve medical and emotional support for AIDS patients, some of whom say they have encountered hostility in facilities without dedicated wards. The hospital treats about a third of all the AIDS patients in the county, officials say.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who first raised the issue in 1987, was supported Tuesday by fellow board members Pete Schabarum and Ed Edelman. Supervisors Deane Dana and Kenneth Hahn were not present.

In an interview, Schabarum said he favored the AIDS ward in part because it would not mean excessive costs for the county. He also said it seemed “eminently logical” to house people with the same disease in one part of the hospital.

It is not clear how much it will cost the county to construct the ward in existing hospital space, a task that officials say may include piping in oxygen, constructing bathing facilities and adding isolation rooms to protect patients from infection.

Jerry Buckingham, executive director of the medical center, said he is most concerned about the county’s ability to staff the ward. He said the ward may need a relatively high ratio of nurses to patients because of the severity of patients’ conditions.

County officials hope the ward will open within the next six months.