Kaiser Permanente invests $32 million in South LA community hospital

Kaiser Permanente has announced a commitment of up to $32 million to expand the emergency department at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Willowbrook, South Los Angeles. The funding includes a $25 million charitable grant and the acquisition of a $7 million modular building to serve as temporary emergency space during construction.

The 131-bed nonprofit hospital is currently facing significant capacity issues. While originally designed to handle approximately 25,000 annual visits, the emergency department now manages roughly 125,000 visits per year. This fivefold increase in demand has previously required the hospital to treat patients in field tents located in the parking lot.

The hospital serves a high-need population, with approximately 80% of patients covered by Medi-Cal and nearly 95% of emergency visits involving patients covered by Medi-Cal, Medicare, or those who are uninsured. Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO of MLK Community Healthcare, described the investment as the largest in the hospital’s history.