The head of San Francisco’s health department, Dr. Mitchell Katz, has been named to head up LA County’s Health Services Department, ending the agency’s two-year search for a permanent director. In his previous position, which he’s held for the past 13 years, Katz teamed with mayor Gavin Newsom to launch Healthy San Francisco, an innovative program that provides universal health coverage for all of that city’s residents. Katz envisions a similar program for Los Angeles. He also recently revealed publicly that his attitudes about health policy for the homeless and mentally ill have been shaped by having two siblings with developmental disabilities, one of whom was homeless. Could Los Angeles – which has more than 48,000 people living on the streets – ever dream of giving health care to all its citizens? What other changes does Dr. Katz hope to enact in his new position?
Guest:
Dr. Mitchell Katz, Director of Los Angeles County Department of Health Services