Official defends County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center after incidents

Los Angeles County's health services director said Tuesday that he was concerned about recent patient care problems at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, but believes the hospital is working to prevent such incidents from happening again. The Daily Breeze reported Sunday that a psychiatric patient died and a surgical patient was injured amid mistakes last summer at the county-run trauma center near Torrance. The news has stirred concern among community leaders about the quality of care at Harbor-UCLA, the only Level I trauma center south of the Santa Monica Freeway and a key safety net hospital for the county's low-income and uninsured patients.