Received from Julian Haywood for release at 1400H 12/22/99

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December 21, 1999

Mark Finucane

Director, DHS

313 North Figueroa

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dear Mr. Finucane

The position of the Chief of Staff of the LAC+USC medical Center will soon be vacated by the decision of Dr. Ronald Kaufman to accept an important position with the University of California system.

The process of making the appointment of a successor has come into question despite the existence of a CPSA contract extension which defines this process. The Board of Directors of APLACH strongly supports the position that the current contract language should be honored. Honoring the current contract language will go a long way toward maintaining the appropriate level of collegiality that is vital to a successful partnership between the USC School of Medicine and the County of Los Angeles. Moreover, such action will be a highly supportive of the level of confidence that the full-time staff and the volunteer staff of the Medical Center must have in the successor to Dr. Kaufman for optimal provision of patient services, teaching functions and clinical investigations which guide patient care.

Your considered judgement in this regard is urgently solicited.

Yours truly,

L. Julian Haywood, M.D.

President

Association of Physicians of Los Angeles County Hospital

(APLACH)

cc Donald Thomas, M.D.

Richard Rodriguez, CEO

Joseph Van der Meulen, M.D.

Stephen Ryan, M.D.