Moderate H1N1 Pandemic Could Flood Los Angeles Hospitals

The report continued, "The hospital system alone cannot meet the increase in demand expected during a flu pandemic . . . Policymakers need to pursue early, aggressive, targeted, and layered community interventions."

Eugene Grigsby, president and CEO of the NHF, says he doesn't think the challenges in meeting demand stop at the Los Angeles County line.

"We think it will be a problem throughout the whole state," he says.

"Without a really good disaster plan, the rollout period could be very confusing and messy, and so the inability to really be effective in dealing with the demand could be exacerbated," he adds.

Additionally, Grigsby says, most hospitals in the Los Angeles area "have no good count on how many respirators they really have." Even the state stockpile, which was purchased several years ago, may be in question. "If there is a stockpile and these respirators haven't been used, no one knows whether they will work or not," he says.

"The real story coming out of our report," Grigsby says, "is who's in charge. Is there a plan? Who knows about it? And is it well articulated. How all this is coordinated is a really critical aspect."