Closing of Hospital Could Prove Traumatic
Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital is an essential part of our local health-care infrastructure (“Closures Put Big Hospital Chains Under Microscope,” Aug. 22). It must not be allowed to close. Its emergency room is the nearest to LAX--an acknowledged terrorist target. There is no other emergency room south of the 10 Freeway and west of the 405 Freeway between Santa Monica and Torrance, so it would be a necessary part of dealing with a disaster in the event that a major earthquake damaged freeway bridges.
Area emergency rooms are already overburdened, and the influx of residents to the nearby Playa Vista development will only add to the problem. There is no clearer example of a situation in which the quest for maximizing corporate profit conflicts with the needs of the community. Government must in some cases override the impulse of the free market in order to protect the common good. Thankfully, many of our elected officials are fighting on our behalf.
D. Scott Malsin
Culver City
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It’s very depressing to a Westside resident to read of the potential closing of the Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital. The Camden Group’s assessment that the hospital was not “financially tenable” because of limited population projections (among other reasons) is ludicrous. Isn’t anyone taking into account the new Playa Vista project? With so many hospital closings, my biggest fear is not terrorists. My biggest fear is that I’ll have a heart attack and not have an emergency room open nearby.
M.C. Jones
Mar Vista
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