Bits 'n' Pieces

Notice of Lease Termination

MemorialCare has formally notified the City of Long Beach of their decision to fully terminate the lease at Community Hospital. Effective July 3, 2018, MemorialCare will no longer provide acute care, psychiatric care, or support the eight basic services provided by all hospitals in California, at Community Hospital.

Months of negotiations between the city and MemorialCare preceded the action by MemorialCare. MemorialCare had previously determined that the active earthquake fault line under Community Hospital makes it infeasible to continue providing hospital services at Community Hospital. However, state agencies have not told the city that it is infeasible to meet state seismic requirements and provide hospital services at the location.

While the city is disappointed in MemorialCare’s departure from Community Hospital ahead of the June 30, 2019 date, as initially reported by MemorialCare to the Long Beach City Council at a public meeting on Nov. 14, 2017, Long Beach appreciates the opportunity to have partnered with MemorialCare at Community Hospital and looks forward to working with Memorial in the years ahead at facilities throughout the city.

The City of Long Beach is exploring all opportunities to continue hospital services, inclusive of psychiatric care services at Community Hospital. The city recognizes the regional need for quality psychiatric care and understand the importance of the co-located acute and psychiatric care services currently provided at Community Hospital.

At this point in time:

The City of Long Beach is actively engaged in discussions with various hospital operators who are interested in providing high-quality services at Community Hospital, while working with the City to meet State seismic compliance requirements; and

The City of Long Beach is working with Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell to seek an extension to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) seismic compliance deadline for existing hospital operations, inclusive of the eight basic services and psychiatric care. The purpose of this request is to enable acute and psychiatric care services at Community Hospital to continue while a long-term solution for the hospital is developed and implemented. The goal of this legislative proposal is to preserve the public health and safety of patients, residents and the community through ensuring high quality health care is provided by licensed and/or certified facilities, agencies and qualified providers.

Pursuant to the mayor and city council’s formal request to renew the acute and psychiatric care licenses at Community Hospital, MemorialCare has indicated they intend to carry out the usual annual process for renewing the acute care license, which includes the behavioral health, or psychiatric care unit. The current license expires April 28, 2018 and the city has requested that it be renewed through April 29, 2019.

Many Long Beach residents have made it clear they would like to see the doors of Community Hospital remain open. The City of Long Beach will continue engaging with local and statewide stakeholders with an interest in supporting quality health care and seismic compliance at Community Hospital, including users and providers of the region’s emergency medical system, potential hospital operators and workforce groups.

Community Hospital is a 158-licensed bed, general acute care and psychiatric care hospital located at 1720 Termino Avenue in Long Beach. To be a hospital in California means to have a duly constituted governing body with overall administrative and professional responsibility and an organized medical staff that provides 24-hour inpatient care, inclusive of eight basic services: medical, nursing, surgical, anesthesia, laboratory, radiology, pharmacy and dietary services. Community Hospital currently meets these basic requirements and provides psychiatric care services.

Second Graduating Class of Online High School

The Long Beach Public Library recently hosted its ceremony for second graduating class of Career Online High School at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library. Through hard work and serious commitment to the program, 15 students earned their high school diploma and gathered today with family and friends to celebrate this momentous achievement.

The library awards scholarships for Career Online High School to qualified individuals looking to earn a high school diploma and advance their careers.

“Libraries are for learning, which is why it is important for us to offer a program like Career Online High School,” said Glenda Williams, Director of Library Services. “It is so rewarding for us to be able to celebrate the achievements of our students.”

The Long Beach Public Library launched its Career Online High School program for residents of Long Beach in March 2016. Since then, 28 students have earned their high school diploma.

Residents of Long Beach can learn more about Career Online High School at Long Beach Public Library or by visiting the library’s website at www.lbpl.org/events/cohs.

For more information about Long Beach Public Library services and events, visit www.lbpl.org.

Goodwill Honors Doug Haubert, Felton Williams

Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert and Dr. Felton Williams of the Long Beach Unified School District Board were honored at Goodwill’s “Celebrate the Power of Work” Awards Dinner on February 28. The awards event is held annually to honor exceptional community leaders as well as inspirational individuals who’ve transformed their lives through job programs offered by Goodwill, Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County (SOLAC).

Popular radio personality Pat Prescott of 94.7 The WAVE hosted the awards dinner, which was held at the Pacific Ballroom at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. The event also recognized Goodwill’s Employer of the Year and Community Partner of the Year for their role in providing job opportunities to Goodwill’s job program participants.

Doug Haubert received the 2018 Community Leader of the Year award for his leadership in authoring a series of results driven initiatives that have made Long Beach safer while improving the city’s recidivism and school truancy rates. Soon after winning the 2010 election for Long Beach City Prosecutor, Haubert started the city’s Gang Prevention Strategy, a three-part approach to reducing gang violence that was recognized by Neighborhoods USA as one of America’s Best Neighborhood Programs. He also created the Parent Accountability and Chronic Truancy Program, a partnership between the school district, the police department and the City Prosecutor’s Office to improve graduation rates and keep parents engaged in their children’s education.

Dr. Felton Williams, who was presented with the 2018 Catalyst of the Year award, is a trailblazing board member for the Long Beach Unified School District, serving four terms as its president. While serving on the district’s board, Dr. Williams led a series of strategic initiatives that ultimately enabled students to succeed in school while increasing high school graduation and college entrance rates. This is a particularly remarkable feat, given that Long Beach is one of the most diverse cities in the nation.

The Employer of the Year award was presented to Arconic, the premier designer and manufacturer of aerospace and industrial fasteners and tools. Arconic received its award for employing participants of Goodwill’s Supported Employment Program that provides job opportunities to those with developmental and physical disabilities.

The Community Partner of the Year award was presented to the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) for referring more than 100 of Goodwill’s participants to its Certified Nurse Assistant and Loss Prevention Training Programs.

Three participants of Goodwill’s job programs were honored at the awards event for leading successful careers. These award recipients are: Damon Richardson, Graduate of the Year; Anthony Batten, Achiever of the Year; and Krystal Urzua, Graduate Employee of the Year.

Motorsports Walk of Fame

Two Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach winners – Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya – will be inducted on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 11 a.m. into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame, a City of Long Beach and Grand Prix Association of Long Beach joint project.

The public is invited to attend the 13th annual Walk of Fame induction ceremony, which will be held on South Pine Avenue in front of the Convention Center as part of the festivities surrounding the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Admission to the ceremony is free.

“We look forward to welcoming Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya back to Long Beach to honor them for all of their achievements in motorsports. They are well-deserving honorees,” said Mayor Robert Garcia.

Castroneves, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, won in an Indy car at Long Beach in 2001 and captured the 1997 Indy Lights race at Long Beach as well.

A three-time Indianapolis 500 winner (2001, ‘02, ‘09), Castroneves has logged 30 Indy car race victories. The popular driver, who gained substantial non-racing fame by winning season five of the popular television show, “Dancing with the Stars,” has switched series in 2018, co-driving Acura Team Penske’s #7 Prototype entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series with last season’s Prototype co-champion, Ricky Taylor.

Montoya won the 1999 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach en route to capturing the 1999 CART FedEx Series championship and finished third at Long Beach in 2015.

The Bogota, Colombia native won the Indy 500 in 2000 and 2015, with 15 Indy car victories and seven Formula One race wins on his resume.

“It is entirely appropriate that we recognize these two racing legends here at Long Beach this year,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “They have excelled in their performances both here and around the world and this year return to Long Beach both driving sports cars for Team Penske.”

The Walk of Fame medallions include renditions of the racers’ Long Beach-winning cars, as well as their major achievements in motorsports. For more information, visit www.lbmotorsportswof.com.

The induction ceremony kicks off the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend, which brings more than 180,000 people to Downtown Long Beach. For more information, visit gplb.com, call (888) 827-7333, or follow the race on Facebook at GrandPrixLB, Twitter @ToyotaGPLB, Instagram @ToyotaGPLB and Snapchat @ToyotaGPLB.