LANCASTER – Nearly 1,100 patients visited Antelope Valley Hospital’s (AVH) trauma department in the last 12 months, the hospital announced Monday. That volume marks a 31 percent increase from two years ago and accentuates the hospital’s need for additional Measure B funding for which the hospital has filed suit against Los Angeles County and the County Board of Supervisors, hospital officials said.
As the only Level II trauma center within a 50-mile radius, Antelope Valley Hospital sees 12.4 percent of Los Angeles County trauma and emergency department (ED) visits. AVH’s emergency department is on pace to see more than 120,000 patients this year alone, making it the second busiest ED in L.A. County, according to the hospital.
“AVH provides an important link in the county’s overall delivery of services to its neediest residents,” stated Pavel Petrik, M.D., chair of the department of surgery and trauma medical director at AVH. “We are so proud of the staff of trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, specially trained nurses, and radiologists who are on duty and/or on call 24/7/365 to provide care for people when they need it most.”
The pending lawsuit filed by the hospital against Los Angeles County and its Board of Supervisors is for failing to properly administer and allocate billions of dollars in property tax revenue per Measure B, passed by voters in 2002. The lawsuit seeks equitable relief, economic damages and other appropriate compensation on behalf of AVH, which serves 5 percent of Los Angeles County’s population, yet receives less than one-half of 1 percent of all Measure B funds annually. [Read more here.]
In addition, under the current allocation, AVH (and UCLA) funding inexplicably stops after approximately six months while the other hospitals receive funding for the entire year. AVH is currently being reimbursed slightly over $1 million per year. Using other non county trauma hospitals as a benchmark, AVH should be receiving at least $12 million a year in Measure B funds, according to AVH officials.
If the county was to agree to an appropriate allocation of Measure B funds to AVH, that sum would be less than three-tenths of 1 percent of the L.A. County Department of Health Services’ $3.8 billion budget but would be critical to keeping AVH in good health, according to the hospital.
[Information via news release from Antelope Valley Hospital.]
Previous related stories:
AV Hospital’s claim against LA County seeks fair share of trauma center tax dollars
AV Hospital files claim against L.A. County
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Don Mandy says
Wow, nothing has changed, AV getting short changed, Lancaster still trying to get their hands on Palmdale, Palmdale vs Lancaster, AV is a dumping ground.
I’m sure glad I moved outta the AV…yup, no regrets.
Very concerned worker says
There will be no trauma center to go to, if we do not get Alecto and the board out! Yes wake up AV. If AV Hospital keeps the same board and Alecto keeps running it, you may very well be driving to a much nicer, Henry Mayo, sooner than you think.
Concerned resident says
Meanwhile Alecto is destroying the only full service hospital in the area. Wake up A. And vote the current AVH hospital board members off. Your healthcare is at risk of imploding under Alecto management. Kaiser is considering breaking their contract with AVH.
Shane Falco says
Two things are driving this. The AV is a dumping ground for the uninsured, MediCal, and people who can’t and won’t pay their bills. This drove Palmdale Hospital Medical Center out as well as Lancaster Community Hospital. AVH is the only trauma center and it is barely hanging on.
Just like the section 8 people being pointed to the AV to keep them out of nicer communities, the funds are also going to the better hospitals in better communities too. If Lancaster and Palmdale combined into once large city, instead of two bickering low rent cities, they would be larger than the city of Pittsburgh and would command more from the county.
Tim Scott says
LOL…the agenda appears, finally. Why in the world would Palmdale want Lancaster? Lancaster has been developed in an even worse ramshackle unplanned fashion than county areas that Palmdale has annexed and upgraded. There are still county islands that want into Palmdale that we can’t afford because upgrading the infrastructure to meet city standards would cost too much. Trying to sort out Lancaster would be a monumental project.
Kenneth says
Exactly. It would be a disaster for the residents of Palmdale to be a part of the mess that is Lancaster. Lancaster’s politicians are hell bent on combining the two cities so they can take tax money from Palmdale to fund their pet projects like LEAPS in Lancaster.
Palmdale voters are too savvy to let their city fall into the hands of Rex & Co. Keep an eye out this fall for the Lancaster supported candidates in Palmdale and avoid them like the plague.
Shane Falco says
That is exactly why you people will stay marginalized. You can’t put aside the petty feuds and look at combining services and making one city with one mayor, city council and one set of city services.
You’d rather point fingers and continue to be the dumping ground for the worst and complain about why you’re not getting the larger county voice because you have a population of nearly 350,000.
Tim Scott says
Get a clue. You think that “oh boy, a population of 350,000!!!” is going to suddenly carry weight in a county of TWENTY MILLION? Your math is as daft as your humility is absent.
The county board of supervisors doesn’t listen to city governments based on the size of the city. They don’t listen to city governments, period. Nor should they. We get nothing because our ‘county voice’ is Michael Antonovich…a Republican that the rest of the board of supervisors dismisses out of hand. That’s our fault, because we kept reelecting him.
Meanwhile, you babble about “combining services.” Why in the world would Palmdale want to do that? We have services. Lancaster mostly doesn’t. Extending our services to a city doubled in size would be nothing but a crippling blow to those services. All we would get in return is the opportunity to take on a battle against gross corruption that Lancaster has already lost.
Shane Falco says
Tim, the areas of Santa Clarita (Stevenson ranch, Valencia) Pasadena (la cañada, San Marino) as well as other areas under Antonovich’s 30+ year tenure have very nice communities, many built in the last 20 years or less with some homes well over 2-3 million dollars, increased tax revenues, improved infrastructure, low crime, low section 8, great parks and paseos…..and then there’s Lancaster and Palmdale.
The AV has grown too but where are the high end neighborhoods? Los Hermanos?
Henry Mayo hospital in Valencia is far far better than AVH, cleaner, much better financial shape, and is also a level 2 trauma center all under the same Antonovich you claim doesn’t get anything for his constituents.
As somebody who deals with the trauma centers and doctors, and many political peeps over the years building new fire stations all over Santa Clarita, the infighting of Lancaster and Palmdale is laughable.
It seems the only one fighting the dumping ground philosophy is Rex Parris.
Santa Clarita has found a way to price out many of the bad apples. We have Bridgeport in Valencia…and you guys have a prison.
Tim Scott says
Yeah, but we don’t have you, and that makes everything else worthwhile.
Shane Falco says
I guess that’s why my property tax dollars get spent in SCV, Newport Beach and a cabin in the sierra’s. My wife’s business is in SCV, my side work involves SCV and AV too.
I grew up in the AV, both parents born in the AV and live in an unincorporated area on some property and I pick up OT in the AV.
Shane Falco says
You still can’t back up your assertions that the problems with the AV are Antonovich not being a democrat. The issue is that Valencia, Saugus, newhall, Robinson ranch, stevenson ranch, canyon country and castaic have no issues being….Santa Clarita.
William says
While Santa Clarita has more expensive homes, once you leave your neighborhood, there’s an ‘obnoxious energy’ in the area.
It’s built up more densely than the Antelope Valley and driving around there is like in Los Angeles itself.
I noticed that over 20 years ago and it only got worse.
Shane Falco says
Obnoxious energy is ironic when you see all the paseos, walking trails, parks, HOA’s and greenery, fountains and water features encouraging people to be outside even along the main streets all through neighborhoods.
We have met all kinds of people out walking the trails with their kids. You see many people jogging, biking
In the 35+ years I lived in AV and years working I have always wished that the planners had thought like about more pedestrian outdoor avenues/activities.
Tim Scott says
I’ve backed it up, you are just either ignoring it or too thick to understand.
So let me try again, slowly.
When a legislative body is controlled by Democrats, like for example every legislative body that is relevant to this discussion, a Republican member is parked outside the caucus room while most of the decisions are made, then gets to vote their token resistance as a sop to their constituents.
Antonovich has made a career out of “fighting the good fight.” Just look at the front page. There he is, taking a stand against marijuana, the will of the public as represented by every vote that has been taken, and the majority of the board. Plays great with the Republican faithful and makes NO DIFFERENCE at all.
When he says to his fellow board members “Hey, I need to bring home some bacon here, the old token good fight vote isn’t getting it done” the most likely response is “So, what, they aren’t going to reelect you? Wow, that would be…well…great.” So sending him for bacon is a pointless exercise.
You, of course, are making the mistake of thinking that the taxes generated and spent in your high end world are in some way related to this question, which of course they aren’t.
Shane Falco says
Again, it’s not any of the other cities he represents. Somehow your argument only seems to apply to the AV.
It’s Mike, it’s Rex…..it’s everybody but the crime and criminals and infighting between the cities fighting over the same dollar and for relevance.
Tim Scott says
Since slow didn’t work, let’s try short.
He doesn’t represent cities.
Matt_K says
Tim,
Try to be a little objective here and suspend your animosity toward Shane and Rex for a second — just one second!
Shane is not wrong when he says that housing subsidy users were pointed toward the A.V. by better-planned communities.
That’s exactly what happened!
… the former Newhall Land & Farm in Santa Clarita (now called “FivePoint group”), The Irvine Company in Orange County, The Mitsubishi Estate Company in Palm Springs and LaQuinta, the Canadian Daon Company in Temecula, the Texaco Company in Anaheim Hills… have all purposefully skirted their state-mandated duty to build housing for low-income people, and have collectively, sent them to places like Victorville, Hemet and the Antelope Valley where there is bickering in politics and a lack of regional planning.
When I was a part-time columnist for the Antelope Valley Press (before they let me go), I made public commentary a few times on why there was such a horrible lack of planning here in the A.V. by both cities: No HOAs, no environmental incorporation into planning, no future-time orientation at either planning department — just a hodge-podge “who can build more faster and collect more developer fees” mentality in both cities.
I foresaw the impending disaster before it hit. But nobody listened, or I was fiercely rebutted. Then, beginning about 2006-2007, the sh** had already begun to hit the fan as far as low-income people being shipped out here to avail themselves of abundant housing, and both cities overreacted by setting up Gestapo-like “compliance” checks in partnership with the County — a situation that could’ve been COMPLETELY avoided had more foresight and better civic planning been in the cards early on!
If this valley is to have a future and be taken seriously, then there needs to a more unified approach to dealing with the state, the county and the developers. If that means (((gasp!))) merging the two cities at some point down the road, then that’s what needs to happen!
I’m a lifelong AV resident, been since four months after I was born. It’s time to change. I think when my generation finally gets the reigns here, we WILL see the change. I want our valley to join the rest of Southern California in becoming a desirable place again and that will only happen with better regional cooperation and better planning.
Eric says
It is in the interests of both cities that the other city be healthy and profitable. The fact that this seems to elude many of the people who leave comments here is disappointing. Palmdale is not the shining city on the hill it’s made out to be, or Lancaster the scummiest pond. I’ve had good times in both cities, regularly and recently. I want to see a strong Antelope Valley, not one city doing good and a bunch of slums. If Jim and Rex can’t get along, for the sake of the 300K+ residents they’re governing over, they both need to go.
Tim Scott says
“If they can’t get along get rid of both”…how is that logical? I have two guys working for me. One is a useless slacker who can’t be made to carry his weight under threat of death, and another who is irritated to the point of venomous snarkiness from carrying the slacker. Is the solution “fire them both if they can’t get along”?
You are right, Palmdale isn’t the “shining city on the hill” and WOULD be doing much better if Lancaster wasn’t such a hodgepodge cesspool of corruption…but the fix isn’t to drag down to their level out of some “sense of fairness.”
Tim Scott says
Matt, I too am a lifelong AV resident, and my life is substantially longer than yours. Our valley IS a desirable place…far more so than it was when I was of an age to be talking about “my generation getting the reins.”
That said, Lancaster is AS FAR FROM LA as you can get and still be in LA county. Palmdale is not much closer. That has always been the case, and has always resulted in property values being the lowest in the county. That isn’t going to change through regional cooperation or better planning, it is a fact of geography.
Because we have the lowest property values we deal with the reality of lower property tax base. We attract people of lower incomes, which means that we deal with lower sales tax base because they can’t spend as much. These too are just facts, no matter how much people want to blame them on some grand conspiracy to “drive the cockroaches in a heard to the AV” or whatever. These facts also are not going to change. The AV is always going to be the most distant and most affordable place to live in LA county.
What maybe you and definitely Shane don’t get is that there is nothing terrible about affordable. It doesn’t work for him, because he needs that spiffy Santa Clarita address to feel…whole? Superior? Safe in his marriage? Whatever it is. But folks is folks, as the saying goes, and I personally don’t have any problem living among the people who are looking for an affordable place to live.
Now, you aren’t the only one that saw that a developer fee based economy was going to be a problem. I also think that to a great extent that has now been made so apparent that that drum doesn’t really need a lot of pounding any more.
But the fact of the moment NOW is that Palmdale did a lot more with the developer fees when they collected them, and is now reaping the rewards of that. Lancaster squandered that resource shamelessly when they had it, and they are reaping their own rewards.
That’s why Palmdale has a thriving commercial center that continues to expand, and Lancaster does have the “hodge podge” you describe. That’s why Palmdale has a thriving small industry district in town, while Lancaster has another borderline surviving development they call an industrial center out in the desert at the end of the musical road…one of their “premier attractions.” That central location is why in the industrial zone of Palmdale it is possible to run a thriving micro-brewery with a taproom, while Lancaster has to warp their zoning to accommodate an industrial operation on their failing BLVD because if it were stuck out in the “industrial park” their taproom would have no customers.
It’s also why the other day I was driving down a major (ends in five) thoroughfare of Lancaster that was absolutely AWFUL; the standard blacktop and block wall canyon that just makes people driving want to press on the gas and melts anyone who dares consider being a pedestrian. Then I crossed another major thoroughfare (letter, no numbers) and all of a sudden I was on a street that was absolutely stunning. Sweeping curves of sidewalk through green grass under shade trees, a decorative median, literally EVERYTHING that a landscaped street in southern California could offer. In half a mile I was back in the canyon. Clearly all the developer fees collected for at least a mile in every direction had been dumped into that half mile. Coincidentally (?), the small neighborhood accessed through the decorative block wall behind the beautifully landscaped boundary is the home of one of Lancaster’s long time “movers and shakers.”
THAT is what merging the cities would bring to Palmdale. Not a “greater voice” or benefits of unified services.
Matt_K says
Tim,
Distance from L.A. shouldn’t be a factor in how valuable property is. Take the Coachella Valley, for example. Look at how far the hot desert cities of Rancho Mirage and LaQuinta are from the county seat in Riverside (almost 70 miles!), yet, they have some of the highest property values in Riverside County, compared to Hemet, Perris, Moreno Valley and Banning, which are all much closer.
Yes, I agree that Lancaster is paying the price for its past corruption re: the use of developer fees. It’s best hope is to plan the far-West Side (70th West and beyond) better, and hope they draw a better clientele of people in to live there.
Tim Scott says
Matt, that says a lot more about the difference between LA and Riverside than it says about distances. Nothing in LA County (or Orange county, for that matter) doesn’t have Los Angeles as its primary influencing factor.
Nothing on this earth is going to make Lancaster and an extra hour’s drive from LA compete with Chatsworth. It is conceivable that LA County could price out completely and just have no affordable housing anywhere (Shane’s paradise) and shove people out into Kern county and San Bernadino and Riverside counties, but the prices will always be higher further in than further out.
Jason Zink says
AV Leaders haven’t done nothing for us in AV. With politicians like our’s who needs Enemies!
Tim Scott says
And yet they keep getting reelected…until they retire and then voters promote their deputies.
As long as we keep sending Republicans to be our voices in Democrat controlled legislatures (county board of supervisors, state senate, state assembly) our representative will be seated at the kids’ table while the decisions about where to spend money are being made.
Tim Scott says
And yet our representative to the county board of supervisors got reelected eight times, and we appear to be on pace to promote his assistant now that he is retiring. Pro tip: when you send a republican to represent you on a legislature dominated by democrats all the decisions are made before they let him in the room. If we want to be treated well we need to send someone who won’t be sat at the kids’ table like Antonovich, Runner, Lackey, etc. have been.
Tom says
Bingo, Ding Ding Ding you hit the correct answer.
William says
AV Hospital was johnny on the spot when it came to suing Palmdale when it was planning on the Palmdale Regional Medical Center a few years back.
Why isn’t wrecks providing some pro bono assistance to the hospital as he’s good as suing when it’s for his pocket?
Matt_K. says
Where does Kern County factor into all of this? AV Hospital also takes in trauma patients from Rosamond and Mojave and from as far away as Boron, California City and Ridgecrest.
Tim Scott says
I considered debating this, but then realized that the Ridgecrest hospital probably generates more trauma cases than it takes in.