MLK Community Healthcare

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MLK Community Healthcare

MLK Community Healthcare (MLKCH) is a private, non-profit, safety-net health system. Learn more about MLK Community Healthcare: www.mlkch.org

MLK Community Healthcare (MLKCH), a private, non-profit, safety-net health system, now offers inpatient, maternity and emergency care at MLK Community Hospital in Willowbrook as well as primary and specialty care at three outpatient sites. In addition, the health system runs a number of community-based health education, screening and treatment programs. MLKCH outpatient services include:

✅ Primary care
✅ Pediatrics
✅ Diabetes (endocrinology)
✅ Heart Disease (cardiology)
✅ Lung Disease (pulmonology)
✅ Urology (men’s health)
✅ Mental and behavioral health (psychiatry/social work)
✅ Foot care (podiatry)
✅ Wound care and hyperbaric healing
✅ Infectious disease
✅ Surgery
✅ Addiction medicine

The evolution of MLKCH from hospital to health system is a direct response to South LA’s chronic lack of resources and access to care. The community suffers from a severe shortage of doctors – 1,200 fewer than in average areas – as well as the fewest number of hospital beds in all of LA County.

“Lack of access to quality healthcare made this community vulnerable to Covid,” said Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO of MLK Community Healthcare. “South LA has a high burden of diabetes, heart disease, kidney-related illness and other chronic conditions. Our aim is to create the resources and infrastructure necessary to address and reverse poor health.”

Since its opening in 2015, MLKCH has garnered awards and headlines for its innovative approaches to quality, safety and patient satisfaction.

10/28/2026

Big thanks to the MLKCH staff who joined the City of Lynwood, LUSD and RCLA for a community clean-up recently.

Events like these bring neighbors together, build community pride, and help make our neighborhoods cleaner, safer, and more welcoming for everyone.

Pictured from left to right:
Emmanuel Madrid - Public Safety
Rev. Dr. Rudy Rubio - Spiritual Care
Lily Delgadillo - HR
Celina Garcia - HR

10/19/2026

We're recognizing an incredible group of team members who have reached a special milestone: 5 or 10 years of service at MLKCH!

Over the years, these dedicated individuals have helped shape who we are, build our culture, and make MLKCH a place where patients receive exceptional care and compassion. We're so grateful they've chosen to be part of our story, and we can't wait to see what we accomplish together in the years ahead.

Please join us in celebrating our amazing team members and congratulating them on this milestone! 🧡💙💚

10/14/2026

The MLKCH Gives Honor Roll is live and the team really showed up!

📈 604 members of our MLKCH family made a gift
📈 179 new donors joined this year
📈 421 donors renewed their support from 2025
📈 343 staff stepped up to make ongoing monthly or bi-weekly gifts.

All of these efforts helped us raise over $158,000 in support of our community programs and initiatives.

On behalf of our MLKCH Gives leadership team, we want to thank you for a successful campaign. Our Honor Roll visually represents what makes MLKCH so special, proudly sharing the names of our giving family, from physicians to Care Managers, from Public Safety to our EVS team.

Thank you to everyone who made a gift in support of the important work we do to transform healthcare in South LA. Every name speaks volumes about the compassion and dedication of our team.

mlkch.org/all-us-all-in/honor-roll

10/12/2026

We're celebrating the signing of Assembly Bill 2405 (AB 2405) that addresses a problem we've witnessed firsthand.

For too long, patients experiencing behavioral health crises have been transported from communities across Los Angeles to the emergency department at MLKCH, sometimes passing numerous other hospitals along the way.

This can delay critical care, take patients far from their own communities and place additional strain on our already overcrowded emergency department.

AB 2405 helps change that. The new law establishes clear standards requiring law enforcement to transport patients on a 5150 psychiatric hold to the closest appropriate facility, instead of transporting them across the region.

For patients, that means more timely access to care that's closer to home. For MLKCH, it means helping ensure our emergency department can focus its resources on serving South LA.

We're proud to have sponsored this legislation, developed by our Vice President of Government and Community Affairs, Atul Nakhasi, MD, MPP, and authored by Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson

Thank you to Assemblymember Gipson and everyone who helped make this important change possible.

10/09/2026

High fives to the 65 MLKCH staff that braved the heat to join the Greater Los Angeles Heart & Stroke Walk last weekend! 🙌🏽

Our team raised over $1,200 for The American Heart Association. Funds will be used for lifesaving scientific research, medical education, and community wellness programs aimed at fighting heart disease and stroke.

Great work, team!

10/08/2026

MLKCH staff got a chance to flex their creative muscles recently at our “Hope & Healing” art therapy event.

Through simple art prompts centered on resilience and hope, the team had a chance to step away from the demands of the day, express themselves and connect with one another.

Thank you to the Employee Wellbeing team for hosting this event!

10/05/2026

We’re proud to celebrate our latest Clinical Nurse Advancement Program (CNAP) recipients! CNAP recognizes nurses as they grow professionally, strengthen their clinical skills and take on greater leadership.

We believe investing in the continued education and development of our staff is an important part of our mission. When our nurses have opportunities to learn, grow and advance, they bring that knowledge and experience back to our patients—helping us continue to provide high-quality, compassionate care to our community.

Leave some 🧡💙💚 for these recipients in the comments: Pilar Maria Karen Sun, Brooke Yoshinaga, Susana Liu, Stephanie Ramirez, Janice Manuzon, Aileen Dimayuga, Karuna Shahi Shrestha, Karlo Gil Soria, Chantilly Almazan, Alejandra Morales, Maui Jung, Amanda Margoles, Brenda Barnabe, Miriam Jaimes, Ijeoma Akanno, Jeanette Saucedo, Vincenta Lopez Cisneros, Alex Amador, Barbara Aquino, Melak Sahib, Kassandra Laveaga, Julio Ramos Gil, David Castaneda, Cynthia Pineda, Giselle Hernandez, Donya Diop, Jasmine Lacy, Unoma Aghazu, Kirsty Chartier, Ashley Ricardos, Judith Degracia, Stephanie Reyes, Pearl Calabia, Jazmine Cruz Esqueda, Bethany Jenkins, Larissa Joy Baltazar, Julio Vides, Shermin Gordan, and Harry Nacionales.

10/02/2026

Congrats on the latest cohort of nurses to graduate from our PTAP certified RN New Grad Residency!

Over the past year, they’ve gained hands-on clinical experience, learned alongside experienced preceptors, strengthened their clinical judgment through education and simulation, and built the confidence that comes from caring for real patients as part of the MLKCH team.

Please give a big round of applause to: Monnize Sobrinho, Bianca Plascencia, Magali Reyes, Nathalie Lopez, Monique Malet, Saramae Velayo, Crystal Flores, Faviola Martinez, and Stacy Goodwyll!

10/01/2026

KCRW recently invited our CEO Dr. Elaine Batchlor to join Press Play for a conversation about Proposition 40, the federal Medicaid cuts enacted through H.R. 1, and what those cuts could mean for MLKCH and healthcare across California.

Dr. Batchlor spoke about the very real challenges ahead for MLKCH, where the federal cuts are projected to create an $80–$100 million annual deficit. But she also made clear that their impact will extend far beyond Medicaid patients or safety-net hospitals.

“We’re all connected through health care.”

When safety-net hospitals and clinics lose capacity, patients turn to other providers—adding to overcrowding, wait times and costs throughout the healthcare system, including for people with private insurance.

We’re proud that MLKCH is helping bring South LA’s experience and perspective to conversations happening locally and nationally about the future of healthcare. And whatever challenges lie ahead, our commitment remains the same: to provide the high-quality, compassionate care our patients deserve.

Listen to the conversation on KCRW's Press Play: https://www.kcrw.com/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/stories/baby-monitoring-tech-also-collects-data

09/30/2026

173 leaders from MLKCH recently came together for a day of learning and systems improvement at our Leadership Development Initiative.

The workshop covered human error, Just Culture, psychological safety and practical ways to identify risks and improve processes. Leaders explored how to look beyond individual mistakes and develop lasting solutions that support our teams in delivering safe care.

One message captured the spirit of the workshop: “We don’t redesign humans; we redesign the system within which humans work.”

We appreciate everyone—from clinical leaders to executive board members—who took the time to connect across teams and explore how Human Factors principles can help create safer systems at MLKCH.

Address

1680 E 120th Street
Los Angeles, CA
90059

Website

http://www.mlkch.org/

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