Health plan chief to head MLK Jr. hospital

The board of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital has appointed a chief executive to run the private, nonprofit medical center, which is scheduled to open in 2014 and replace the troubled King-Drew hospital. The board appointed Elaine Batchlor, a licensed physician and longtime health administrator, to head the hospital in Willowbrook, south of Watts. Batchlor is the chief medical officer for L.A. Care, the nation's largest public health plan, where she focused on the underserved community. While at L.A. Care, she advocated for stronger use of technology in medicine and expanded access to medical care. The new facility is being built by Los Angeles County but will be run independently.