Supervisor Solis’ motion to help fund the redevelopment of the Historic General Hospital for affordable housing and expansion of healthcare services moves forward.
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today approved a motion by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis on cementing LA County’s commitment to the historic General Hospital located on the campus of the LAC+USC Medical Center in Boyle Heights.
“Throughout my time as Supervisor for the First District, I have introduced various motions in alignment with the community to move forward with a collective vision for redeveloping the historic General Hospital,” said Supervisor Solis. “Cementing our commitment to its restoration and reuse can aid in our response to the housing crisis our region is experiencing, as well as provide exceptional health services – carrying on the hospitals over 150-year-old mission. I’m grateful for the support of Eastside residents and stakeholders in moving this collective dream forward.”
Located less than a mile and a half from downtown Los Angeles, General Hospital, LA County’s flagship hospital, sits atop the LAC+USC Medical Center, the County’s largest healthcare campus. The 1.2 million square foot, 19-story, Art-Deco building opened in 1934 with the mission of providing world-class medical care to all in need. The hospital has served millions of Angelenos from every corner of the County. Surrounded by historically underserved communities and close to Skid Row, General Hospital is an essential medical provider for low-income families and persons experiencing homelessness. Tragically, the building was damaged in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake and subsequently fell out of earthquake and fire safety compliance. The County built a new hospital complex next door and in 2008 moved its medical services to the new complex. Continuing General Hospital’s 150- year-old mission, the new facility provides a wide array of specialty medical services unavailable elsewhere to insured and uninsured patients alike. While most of General Hospital remains vacant and in disrepair, the lower floors of the building remain active. In addition to multiple County departments and a U.S. Navy medical training center, the building is occupied by The Wellness Center, which provides wraparound services and community spaces for LAC+USC Medical Center patients and local community members.
To restore and repurpose General Hospital, in November 2018 Supervisor Solis authored a motion directing the County’s Chief Executive Officer to draft a feasibility study for the adaptive reuse of the building. Presented to the Board in April 2022, the feasibility study, which was developed with robust community engagement and included LAC+USC Medical Center’s West Campus, recommended the repurposing of General Hospital to include hundreds of affordable housing units and expanding wrap-around services from The Wellness Center, among other community-supported suggestions.
Carrying the community’s desires forward, in February 2022 Supervisor Solis authored a motion dedicating $200,000 from the First District’s share of Catalytic Development Funds for the preparation of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to redevelop the site through a private-public partnership. To expedite General Hospital’s redevelopment and bring the building into earthquake and fire safety compliance, the County seeks to structurally upgrade the building as the RFP is being drafted. In June 2022, the State of California appropriated $50 million for General Hospital’s structural upgrades. The RFP process is scheduled to be released by late 2022 or early 2023.
The motion approved today directs several County departments to prepare a financing plan and construction plans for the structural upgrades and identify up to $194.7 million of County funds for the project within 120 days.
To read the full motion, click here.