H1N1 in Decline as Holiday Season Begins With the beginning of the holiday season, welcome news of recent declines locally and nationally in H1N1 flu cases is being felt at L.A. County + USC Medical Center. This comes after concerns peaked in late October over the capacity of the 600 bed facility to respond to serious overcrowding resulting in part from the pandemic. It was also a time when heightened demand for the H1N1 vaccine among high risk groups locally exceeded supplies. Stricter visitation guidelines remain in place at the hospital, including restrictions on visits to inpatient care units by children under 16 unless approved by a nurse or physician caring for the patient.  One reason for continued heightened concern is that common seasonal flu normally peaks in January or February. In October the County Board of Supervisors, alarmed by reports of overcrowding, directed LAC + USC to transfer as many patients as necessary to ensure that the ER maintained an average of no more than 13 patients, waiting no more than 11 hours for admission.  Supervisor Gloria Molina initiated a call for the transfers, saying that public safety was at stake.  The hospital responded by diverting patients to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey as well as to St. Vincent Medical Center, among the area private hospitals that honors Medi-Cal under contract with LAC + USC.  Recent progress toward reopening Martin Luther King Medical Center points to better prospects in the years ahead and less demand on L.A. County + USC Medical Center. Paul Holtom, Associate Professor of Medicine and Orthopaedics on the USC Health Sciences campus, urged people to get the seasonal flu vaccine and to take sensible precautions.  He also had some sound holiday advice.  “If you’re sick, with a high fever, send a nice note to the family but don’t go and infect everyone else.”
Señor Fish an AIN Oasis While Los Angeles baked in temperatures over the century mark and nearby mountains went up in smoke, new and old friends of Angel Interfaith Network found a welcome oasis at the Señor Fish Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, August 30th.  The romantic ballads of Chuy Perez opened the benefit concert, offering a fitting welcome for early arrivals followed by tasty light refreshments.  Later, the women of In Lak Ech offered their meso-American poetry accompanied by drums and flutes.  The infectious rhythms of Sonsoles had LAC + USC social workers and others on their feet dancing later on.  Topping it all off, near the end of the evening was the spirited southern Veracruz son jaracho music of Las Cafeteras.  These were just highlights of a rich and varied lineup of artists inside. Welcome breezes and a fountain in the outdoor patio lured a number of guests outside during the evening to enjoy the artwork on display by the Lilliflor Collective Studios. Credit for organizing the successful event goes to AIN Assistant Network Coordinator Raquel Salinas.  She drew upon her broad contacts in the activist arts community of Los Angeles to showcase a number of artists who generously donated their talent for the sake of Angel Interfaith Network and the patient families we serve.  Also donating her time was the gracious, award-winning Master of Ceremonies, Kikey Castillo.  Jose Ramirez made the valuable contribution of his art for use in online and print publicity materials and was in the audience as well.  Over a hundred guests enjoyed the festivities over the course of the evening, including a number of students and others interested in volunteering for AIN.  Our heartfelt thanks to all the musicians, artists, volunteers and to Señor Fish Restaurant for contributing to the success of the evening. If  L.A. heat, fires or other distractions caused you to miss the opportunity to attend the Tardeada / Benefit Concert this year, Raquel says she would like to make this an annual event.  Let’s encourage that!
Raquel Salinas (AIN) and MC Kikey Castillo	Gloria Estrada and La Santa Cecilia
La Santa Cecilia	Marisol with La Santa Cecilia
Oso of La Santa Cecilia	Oso and Hugo, La Santa Cecilia
Online AIN Discoveries Have you discovered the new Facebook page for Angel Interfaith Network yet?  Take this opportunity to find it here and become a fan.  We have aspiring Eagle Scout Kevin Tan of Troop # 7 (South Pasadena), pictured here, to thank for helping us to discover the possibilities of social networking as we seek to attract young volunteers.  Assigned the ambitious project of designing and launching a “youth volunteer program” for AIN, Kevin helped us discover how useful a Facebook page could be in communicating with a new audience.  His timing was perfect. At the same time the board of Angel Interfaith Network was engaged in listening, learning and sharing experiences as it considered how our organization could adapt to changing times.  How do we better serve patient families, communicate our story to supporters and thrive in a rapidly changing and challenging environment?  They tell us that “baby boomers” volunteer in order to change the status quo, while “Generation X” wants to develop professionally and acquire skills through volunteer work.  “Millenials” and younger are another story altogether!  It’s not surprising that preferred styles of communication differ as well. We decided that Facebook was the perfect vehicle to reintroduce our supporters to GoodSearch and GoodShop.  Over the past year GoodSearch and GoodShop have been a modest source of income for AIN.  The Yahoo-based search engine contributes to AIN every time a user naming “Angel Interfaith Network” as its charity of choice uses it to conduct online searches or to shop online.  We’re hoping that our new Facebook constituency is one ready to adapt its online activity to benefit AIN and the patients of LAC + USC Medical Center.  Click here to learn more about GoodSearch and GoodShop and how easy it is to use.    Another recent experience inspired a longtime AIN supporter to envision a program he calls “Desktop Angels.”  We needed to find a bunkbed in a hurry for the family of a young girl with leukemia forced to move in with family in a distant end of the county.  The volunteer put out word to contacts to search online through Craigslist and other sites to find out what was available.  In no time, the bunkbed was obtained and costs associated with it were covered.  We know there are others out there ready and willing to conduct similar searches when a need arises.  Call us at 626-799-2858 if this form of volunteer service interests you.  You can earn your wings as a “Desktop Angel” right at home! Now in its 21st year of service to patients and families of L.A. County + USC Medical Center, AIN looks to you to help us to successfully negotiate the promises and perils of the 21st century!
Faith-Inspired Vision for Healthcare Reform As debate in Congress on healthcare reform heats up, the faith community has a unified voice not present in past efforts.  “Faithful Reform in Healthcare” is a Cleveland, Ohio based umbrella for articulating broadly shared values of the faith community essential to addressing the healthcare crisis.  On June 29th the organization delivered 2,000 signatures to Congress affirming “As people of faith, we envision a society where each person is afforded health, wholeness and human dignity.  The vision embraces a system of health care that is inclusive . . . accessible . . . affordable . . . and accountable.” The presentation of signatures followed an “Interfaith Week of Prayer for Health Care for All” June 19th – 26th.  Another highlight of the week came with a “National Call-In Day” on June 24th, flooding representatives with a message of compassion, dedication to the common good, concern for those most vulnerable and faithful stewardship of healthcare resources.  Various local “echo events” are planned across the country to reinforce the message. Among the resources the organization brings to bear in this struggle are some voices with impressive moral authority.  “Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane,” said Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.  More recently, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism stated, “My friends the health insurance situation in this country is a disaster.  If we continue to tolerate it, we will lose our humanity, and no matter our other accomplishments, we will have failed as a people and as a nation.  So let us work to change it, piece by piece and child by child, until no cry for help goes unheard.  Only in this way can we honor the image of God in every human being.” You may add your name to “A Faith-Inspired Vision of Health Care” by going to the website of Faithful Reform in Health Care at www.faithfulreform.org.  Find additional resources there for education in your community as well.
Stimulus No Solution for CA Uninsured The bad news came at the end of  March – federal stimulus funds coming to California will not be sufficient to head off steep cuts to funding of care for the uninsured, according to the state budget accord painfully hammered out after prolonged negotiations.  With care of uninsured patients at public hospitals on the rise throughout the state, that foreshadows tougher times ahead for L.A. County + USC Medical Center and patient families served by Angel Interfaith Network. A survey conducted by the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems showed a 4% increase in the number of patients at public hospitals from October, 2007 to October, 2008.  That translates to approximately 100,000 patients across a system of nineteen public hospitals in the state.  The four Los Angeles County public hospitals showed a 12% increase in patients coming to emergency rooms for treatment of medical problems or for prescription refills. Since that October period, California’s unemployment figure has continued to rise and now exceeds 10%.  “If we were to compare data from January, 2009 to the same month a year before, I know we would see a larger increase than what our survey revealed,” said Melissa Stafford Jones, president and CEO of CAPH.  Stafford-Jones asserts that every one percent increase in the unemployment rate signifies one million more uninsured and one million additional people who will qualify for Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). At the end of March state Treasurer Bill Lockyer determined that only $8.14 billion of a hoped-for $10 billion in federal stimulus funds would be coming to California and expressed his concern to the governor for consequences, “both fiscal and human.”  Numerous health care budget cuts will not be restored, including $54 million in federal funds provided to public hospitals to care for the uninsured as part of the Safety Net Care Pool.  The CAPH believes that the cuts could not come at a worse time for millions of patients being served by public hospitals.
Extreme Poverty in L.A. If Skid Row of downtown Los Angeles is a tragic “ground zero” for a local escalation in poverty and homelessness, can L.A. County + USC Medical Center be far behind? In “A Profile of L.A.’s Poor in Turbulent Times” (January, 2009) United Way reports that the number of “extreme poor” in L.A. County roughly matches the total population of Washington D.C. and is greater than the total populations of Seattle, Las Vegas or Miami.  “Extreme poverty” translates as those earning below 50% of the federal poverty level.  That represented some 583,000 people in L.A. County in 2007, and a staggering 10% of the population in East Los Angeles. The Midnight Mission, Los Angeles Mission and Union Rescue Mission all reported a sharp increase in the number of families seeking their services in a story for the Los Angeles Downtown News last November.  According to Rebecca Isaacs, executive director of Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, families are one of the fastest-growing segments of the homeless population in L.A. County.  The 2007 Homeless Count conducted by the agency found a total of 13,618 families on the streets of greater Los Angeles.  Results from the count conducted last month will not be available until summer, but anecdotal evidence suggests a sizable increase in the number of homeless families.  All of that helps to put Angel Interfaith Network service data for 2008 in some perspective.  With only slightly more resources available to us during the year, AIN made 1,096 service deliveries to more than 679 families and at least 1,312 individuals.  In dollars, that represented $116,148 worth of in-kind goods distributed out of the $$133,083 received during the year.  Patient families we serve from the L.A. County + USC Healthcare Network and those referred by community partners make up only a slice from the overall L.A. County population living in “extreme poverty.”  With your help, we direct critical support and pastoral care to situations of acute need.  As the economic climate grows more challenging in 2009, we are determined to meet those challenges with timely, concrete demonstration that there is a community that cares.
SCHIP Bill A Ray of Hope One of the biggest worries accompanying the new L.A. County + USC Medical Center has been the reduction in pediatric beds and the impact this will have on the local healthcare system . New legislation signed into law by President Obama on February 4th expands publicly-funded health insurance for children through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). It also ends a five-year waiting period that has prevented hundreds of thousands of children in immigrant families from gaining access to preventive care. More access to preventive healthcare options for low-income families should mean a reduction in demand on scarce pediatric beds at LAC + USC.  The $33 billion bill, funded by a boost in the federal tax on cigarettes to $1 a pack, would reduce the number of uninsured children in America by about half over the next 4 ½ years and boost the number covered by the program to 11 million. Leading children’s advocacy groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children’s Defense Fund, First Focus, the March of Dimes and the National Association of Children’s Hospitals issued the following statement responding to enactment of the SCHIP legislation: “We are pleased that Congress has passed a bill that reauthorizes CHIP, taking care of important unfinished business from the last Congress.  Under this legislation, states receive funding to provide coverage for 4 million children who are currently uninsured, end the five year waiting period on covering legal immigrant children and pregnant women, and give overburdened states much needed fiscal relief to keep children in the program.  This legislation makes an important initial investment in strengthening the quality of children’s health care and improving health outcomes.  We now look forward to working with President Obama and the new Congress on health care reform in 2009, for children and for everyone, that fulfills President Obama’s promise of high quality health coverage that every family can afford for every child in America.”
Although the official "opening" of the NEW LAC + USC Medical Center was postponed from 10/17 to 11/7, there was a festive welcome and tour for L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina on Saturday, October 4th. Click here to see photos. Pictured at right are Flora Molayem, LAC + USC Department of Social Work, Pete Delgado - CEO LAC + USC Helthcare Network, Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Clinical Pastoral Education intern Francis Aguilar rejoins AIN this Fall as he continues preparation for the priesthood. Pictured are Rev. Ann Mills, Francis Aguilar and Rev. Don Smith following graduation of the summer class of CPE students 8/19/08.
LAC + USC on the Move Some of you will remember the first AIN E-Newsletter in May, 2007 with a photo of a delegation in hardhats embarking on a tour of the new L.A. County + USC Medical Center facilities.  (Click here  for archive story)  Few furnishings or carpets and no landscaping were in evidence then, but the promise that the gleaming new structure held was awesome enough at the time.  At last moving days are underway with phased transitions of hospital departments from the 75 year-old landmark to state-of-the-art buildings next door. Few remember now that actress Mary Pickford helped lay the eight ton cornerstone for the main hospital building on December 7th, 1930.  A recent earthquake on July 29th was a reminder to all that the structure has been showing its age and is not up to current earthquake standards.  The continuing importance of LAC + USC Medical Center as a linchpin in healthcare for our region was again evident as some of the most injured victims of the Chatsworth train crash were transported by helicopter to the hospital trauma center. Father Chris Ponnet reports that our partners in the Department of Spiritual Care will be moving on Tuesday, September 23rd.   Supervisor Gloria Molina will be touring the buildings on Saturday, October 4th.  Patients will be moving in phases on Friday, October 17th and Saturday, October 18th. On a recent tour by the Fall term Clinical Pastoral Education students, our AIN intern Francis Aguilar was most impressed with the robots.  “State-of-the-art” at the new LAC + USC Medical Center means mechanized help for such routine functions as changing bed linens and transporting soiled linens to the laundry. It’s a new day for patients and staff at L.A. County + USC Medical Center and for us at Angel Interfaith Network as well! Although the official "opening" of the NEW LAC + USC Medical Center was postponed from 10/17 to 11/7, there was a festive welcome and tour for L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina on Saturday, October 4th. Click here to see photos.
laundry baskets, bassinets, cribs, sleepers, baby wipes, wash cloths, towels, twin beds