On August 11th the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of integrating the existing health care departments into a single agency. More than 25 UAPD members, doctors and pharmacists, testified in favor of integration before the vote took place. Many more took time to write letters to the Supervisors and sign petitions in favor of the integration.
UAPD believes that all members in Los Angeles County stand to benefit from integration. A single agency is better for County workers, patients, and the bottom line — it is simply a good idea.
However, the integration plan faced opposition, most of which was organized by outside contractors who fear that their business with the County will decrease if services are brought together under one agency staffed by permanent County employees. There were hundreds of people on hand at the meeting who opposed the plan. But the County Board of Supervisors also heard from from UAPD members about the benefits of integration. Doctors and pharmacists gave dozens of concrete examples of how integration can improve patient care while saving money.
This was the first time that the Los Angeles County physician unit, dentist and psychiatrist unit, and pharmacist unit were able to join forces to achieve a goal. But it won’t be the last — we are sure that there will be many more opportunities for these UAPD members to work together in the future.