Drew U. plans to close residency program

In a move expected to further sap inner-city healthcare resources in Los Angeles, the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science has decided to close its 34-year-old residency program. Among other problems, the university is having trouble securing funds to pay its 251 residents' salaries. It has also been unable to find long-term accreditation for the residents, who had been in training at the city's Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center. King/Drew is in critical condition, facing a substantial downsizing and change of management after losing its Medicare accreditation. Losing Medicare accreditation could cost the facility $200 million per year in revenue.

While some residents will finish their training at King/Drew, about 200 will have to be relocated to other programs. Drew University administrators had until January to convince the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education that it could offer stable training setting for its residents, but in light of its ongoing problems, they decided to close the program on their own. "We decided to jump rather than be pushed," Drew University President Susan Kelly told the Los Angeles Times. Kelly has vowed to re-open the program at a future date.

Learn more about the school's plans:
- read this Los Angeles Times article