Nursing Facility, Due to Close Oct. 31, Gets 2-Month Extension

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to extend the life of the skilled nursing facility at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in Downey for two months. The facility was originally scheduled to close Oct. 31 in order to cut county costs, but on a 3-2 vote, the supervisors voted to keep it open until Dec. 31 to give relatives of patients extra time to find another hospital.

Supervisors Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Mike Antonovich and Deane Dana supported the extension, while Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Gloria Molina opposed the plan.

The hospital’s skilled nursing facility houses about 14 patients, many of whom are paralyzed and require round-the-clock care.

Relatives of patients at the hospital’s nursing facility complained to the board that finding care compatible to that offered at the county hospital was difficult.