Critical care hospital still feasible here, says incoming city councilman
By Stephanie Bertholdo
Acorn Staff Writer

Before he was elected to one of the two Agoura Hills council seats, John Edelston addressed the Las Virgenes Council of Governments (LVCOG) on the need to bring emergency healthcare services back into the local area.

LVCOG tackles issues that cross local governmental jurisdictions in Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Hidden Hills and Los Angeles County.

Edelston explained that there’s a tremendous need for an emergency room and hospital nearer to Agoura Hills than Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks or West Hills Hospital. Paramedics, he said, can only transport patients to an emergency room, so urgent care centers don’t fit the bill. Depending on the time of day and traffic congestion, a trip to an emergency room could take up to 45 minutes.

According to Suzanne Warner, manager of the American Medical Response Operations central Los Angeles division, AMR conducts 30 paramedic runs each day in the LVCOG area.

"Cutting that time by 15 to 30 minutes could mean the difference between life and death," Edelston said in a release on the subject.

A possible solution, Edelston suggested to LVCOG was a Critical Access Hospital.

"A critical access hospital is feasible in Agoura Hills and could effectively provide the services we need," Edelston said.

Edelston is president and CEO of HealthPro Associates, Inc., and is L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s appointee to the Los Angeles Emergency Services Commission, a position he’s chaired for six years.

Healthcare issues will be a focus for Edelston, he said, as the city’s newest council member.

For further information on this issue, Edelston can be reached at (818) 707-7800, ext. 23.