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"The Ranch" |
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Help Us Keep It Open! |
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Come and Support "The Ranch" at Rancho Los Amigos |
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A Tent City has been up and running since March 24th, 2003. There's still some time for you to come and spend an hour, day, week, or stay the rest of the duration. Show your support for keeping Rancho Los Amigos open! |
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Rancho Is Our Lifeline |
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NEWS FROM THE RANCH |
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The Ranch Opens With A Bang, and Remains |
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A large crowd was on hand on Monday, March 24 to greet the opening of "The Ranch". Patients, Ranchos workers and their supporters pitched tents, prepared the kitchen, brought in a portable toilet and perfomed all of the many other tasks needed to set up camp.
Since then, "The Ranch" has been a fixture at the main entrance to Rancho Los Amigos garnering increasing public attention and attracting more and more supporters. While a core group of protesters stays at "The Ranch" around the clock, their ranks swell during lunch-time and breaks on most evenings. Workers from Rancho Los Amigos have shown their support and some have joined the ranks of the "Ranchers" who stay at the camp. Groups from other unions have come by to spend some time with the "Ranchers" and add thier voices to a growing chorus demanding that Rancho remain open.
A number of stories about "The Ranch" have been broadcast on local television and radio and a number of articles have appeared in local newspapers. The word about our protest is gradually getting out. Our tenacity in being able to sustain "The Ranch" will bring our cause more attention as time goes by. |
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Supervisor Knabe Visits "The Ranch" |
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Don Knabe, the only Supervisor who voted against closing Rancho, stopped by on Friday, March 28th to show his support for "The Ranch". According to him, our protest is having an impact at the Hall of Administration. He urged "Ranchers" to keep up their protest and fight to save their hospital. |
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Lawsuits Filed to Stop Closing of Rancho |
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A number of patient advocacy groups have filed lawsuits in both state and federal court seeking to force the Board of Supervisors to reverse their decision to close Rancho. The suit claims that closing the rehabilitation center would be a violation of federal and state laws that mandate the county to provide "necessary" care to Medi-Cal recipients including those that rely on Rancho. Inasmuch as there is no other facility in L.A. County that can provide the care that is provided at Rancho the plaintiffs demand that the County keep the hospital open. The two suits have recently been combined into a single action and will be heard in federal court. |
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BACK |
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