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Bordering Watts, Compton and South Los Angeles, the Martin Luther King Jr./Charles R. Drew Medical Complex lies 20 miles from the UCLA campus. The socioeconomic distance between the urban, generally low-income setting of the health care facility and the relatively affluent streets of Westwood seems even greater.

Yet the fate of the hospital and its medical school, which is uncertain after several negative evaluations by accreditors, will have a definite impact on the UCLA community.

King/Drew Medical Complex, composed of Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, was established in May 1982 with the mission of bringing quality health service to an area of Los Angeles perpetually lacking in adequate facilities.

For years, the medical complex was praised by civic leaders and health administrators as a beacon of hope for a distraught community. But lately, the complex has been mired in a state of increasing despair.

“There needs to be a lot of work done,” said Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas, D-Los Angeles.

Ridley-Thomas, who serves on the California State Assembly Committee on Health, has a long history of involvement with the King/ Drew.

A former member of the advisory board at King/Drew, he has witnessed first-hand the struggles of the medical complex to remain competent.

“I felt then, as I do now, that change is needed,” he said. “It is clear to me that it could be more effective.”

For Ridley-Thomas, the redemption of King/Drew begins and ends with one institution – UCLA.

“UCLA must step up and play a more constructive and proactive role with respect to the collaboration with Drew University,” he said.

UCLA has been linked with Drew University and the King/Drew Medical Complex for several years through a joint medical training program. In the program, students spend their first two years at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, and then attend Drew University for the second two years. Students who complete the four-year program receive degrees issued by the University of California and jointly conferred by both schools.

The UCLA-Drew program has operated successfully for several years, but concerns have increased following a number of negative evaluations by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

The council has given the residency programs at King/Drew two consecutive unfavorable reviews, a distinction that places it in select company among medical centers.

It has been estimated that as few as 10 percent of all health facilities receive such poor evaluations on more than one consecutive evaluation.

“A negative review means that (a program) has substantial problems or deficiencies,” said ACGME spokeswoman Julie Jacob.

Jacob said it was against ACGME policy to disclose the particular shortcomings of any health facility. However, she explained that an unfavorable rating would result from a consistent inability to meet established requirements set by specialists in the field.

For some parts of the medical complex, the problems have already grown more severe. In June 2003, two of Drew’s largest programs, radiology and surgery, lost accreditation, meaning King/Drew can no longer instruct residents in these fields.

And the loss of program accreditation may not end with those two programs.

After two unfavorable reviews, if the facility is not in compliance with ACGME requirements by the next evaluation, the entire facility could lose accreditation.

The recent problems at King/ Drew have produced uneasiness in its partners at UCLA.

“We are deeply concerned about it,” said Dr. Gerald Levey, dean of the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine. “We have made contingency plans if King/Drew is no longer viable as a teaching institution.”

Levey said transferring Drew residents to other UCLA-affiliated hospitals is one potential move to take if King/Drew is unable to improve its facilities, but stressed that any contingency plans were only speculative at this point.

Regarding pleas by Ridley-Thomas that UCLA take a more active role in the administration of King/Drew, Levey said he and other UCLA officials would continue to support the medical complex, but would limit their involvement to an advisory role.

Nonetheless, Levey asserted steadfast dedication to King/ Drew and its objectives.

“We (at UCLA) have a strong commitment to Drew University,” he said. “We think their mission is critical – to train physicians who will treat the underserved.”

While its educational partner across town expresses unwavering support for Drew University, officials at the medical complex continue their struggle to rectify the many problems plaguing the hospital and medical school.

“There are definitely some hurdles to overcome,” said Drew University Spokesman Michael Downer.

Downer acknowledged that the road ahead will be arduous, but he remains confident that King/Drew Medical Complex will not only survive, but ultimately thrive.

The interest in the facility’s programs is certainly still there. King/Drew continues to receive hundreds of applicants for its medical programs, said Jeffrey Williams, an admissions assistant at Drew University.

Describing the change in attitudes that has emerged at the medical complex following the recent difficulties, Downer spoke with great optimism.

“Everyone here has an eye on how to make their programs as strong as possible,” he said. “It is a continual state of adjustment – a continued state of improvement.”

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