AIDS Hospice Expansion Plans Contradicted

An official at Barlow Hospital, a respiratory facility in Elysian Park, angrily denied Friday the existence of plans to expand a 25-bed AIDS hospice that will open next month on the hospital’s grounds.

John R. Howard, Barlow’s chief administrator, said that Michael Weinstein, the head of the Los Angeles AIDS Hospice Foundation, which is opening the 25-bed hospice in December, had no authority to make plans for an expansion funded by state revenue bonds.

“Our board has not approved any expansion,” Howard said, adding that “Michael has no right to negotiate with the state on our behalf.”

On Thursday, Weinstein told The Times of plans to add 25 more hospice beds to the Barlow project before persuading the California Health Facilities Financing Authority to give preliminary approval for a $5-million, state-guaranteed revenue bond issue to finance construction of more hospices in the Los Angeles area.

Weinstein also said negotiations were under way for the construction of 25-bed hospices in South-Central Los Angeles and at Norwalk Metropolitan State Hospital.

But on Friday, Weinstein said that there were no firm plans for more beds at the Barlow site. He insisted, however, that the hospice, if necessary, could add more beds at Bosworth Hall, the property the foundation has leased from the hospital.

“Down the road, we might add additional beds if we thought it necessary,” Weinstein said. “That property is leased to us and it’s a condition of our lease that we can make improvements.”

Howard said Weinstein had not approached the hospital about that possibility. “He obviously wants to do more (for AIDS patients) at Barlow Hospital than what he’s currently doing, but we need to consider what we can or can’t do,” Howard said.

The dispute is the most recent in a series of flare-ups between Barlow administrators and hospice officials. Earlier this month, the hospital barred AIDS support groups from meeting at Barlow because of allegations that patients had damaged hospital property and slept on its lawn. And Barlow officials also have backed away from earlier plans to convert the sanitarium into a comprehensive AIDS treatment center, citing worries about its financial viability.

On Friday, Howard criticized Weinstein for trying to force an expansion of the hospice by “negotiating before the state and in the press.”

“It’s a complete attempt to embarrass Barlow and force us into offering the program,” Howard said.

Despite his comments to The Times on Thursday, Weinstein said that during his testimony he had made no reference to any specific plans for an expansion of the hospice at Barlow. “I made an explicit statement that we have no concrete plans on locations,” Weinstein said.

A Financing Authority agenda, however, contains a description of a construction project that “will add 75 beds to the already existing 25 beds of hospice care at Bosworth Hall.”

Weinstein said that the description in the agenda was “a mistake” and “someone’s interpretation of our materials.” But John Keplinger, a spokesman for the state treasurer, which represents the authority, said the agenda was taken directly from materials submitted by the hospice foundation.

Keplinger added that although the hospice foundation’s request for the $5-million bond issue had been given preliminary approval, “they will have to have their plans nailed down specifically” when the issue is expected to be taken up again in December.