For More Information Robert F. Kennedy Medical Center to Close; Latest Casualty in ER Financial Crisis [Posted 09/30/04] CMA's 4th Annual ER Losses Report: Uncompensated Emergency Care Surpassed $600 Million in FY 2002 [Posted 09/21/04] Physicians, Help Spread the Word on Prop 67, the Emergency Medical Care Initiative [Posted 09/08/04]

Expressing concern for the health and safety of residents throughout the county, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday endorsed Prop. 67, the Emergency and Trauma Care Initiative.

The CMA-sponsored ballot initiative would raise $600 million annually to fund lifesaving emergency medical care, trauma and emergency rooms, and community clinics in California. The supervisors endorsed it by a 3-2 vote.

“It’s essential that we have the support of these Los Angeles County leaders. This initiative will provide critical funds to our beleaguered trauma care system, so that emergency rooms remain open to provide the lifesaving services all Californians need and expect,” said Daniel Higgins, M.D., an emergency physician and president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association, which supports the measure.

At issue is access to prompt, lifesaving emergency care, according to testimony before the board on Tuesday. More than 65 ERs have closed statewide in the past decade and 28 since 1999. Los Angeles County has seen the number of trauma centers, where the most seriously injured can receive critical care around the clock, dwindle from 23 to 13 in two decades, and another one is set to close by year’s end. In addition, six ERs in the county will have shut in 2004 alone.

	This flyer answers frequently asked questions on Prop 67.

The initiative would increase the 911 surcharge on in-state calls from 0.72 percent to 3.72 percent. The surcharge would be capped at 50 cents per month for a residential telephone. Senior citizens and others on lifeline service would be exempt. The constitutional amendment would also provide strict auditing and oversight of the funds, with no more than 1 percent spent on administration.

In addition to funding for emergency rooms, trauma centers, and emergency doctors and specialists, the ballot measure would provide money to train and equip firefighters and paramedics. Community clinics statewide would receive funds to pay for urgent and primary care services that reduce the flow of patients to overcrowded hospital emergency rooms. It would also provide support for the 911 emergency dispatch system.

Contact: Peter Warren, 310/809-4389 or pwarren@cmanet.org.