2003 Health Care Symposium:
Thomas Garthwaite, M.D.
Tom Garthwaite, MD was recently appointed by the LA County Board of Supervisors as the Director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services, as well as the Department's Medical Director. Tom is the first medical doctor to serve as Director since the unified Department of Health Services was formally established in 1972. He takes the helm of the second largest County health system in the United States, with an annual operating budget of some $2.9 billion and nearly 24,000 employees. The County's health delivery system includes six hospitals, more than 20 County-operated clinics and over 100 sites operated by private clinics through our Public/Private Partnership Program. In addition, the County health system is responsible for public health services including restaurant inspections and disease control. Previously, Tom served as Under Secretary for Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs and was confirmed to that position by the U.S. Senate on September 8, 2000. In that capacity, he served as the CEO for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and was responsible for the operation of the nation's largest integrated health care system. Earlier he served as Deputy Under Secretary for Health from 1995 through 1999. At the VA, Tom oversaw one of the most significant transformations in the agency's health-care mission in the half-century since the Korean War. As Under Secretary for Health, he was in charge of a $20 billion budget and a nationwide health care system comprising some 180,000 full-time employees, 163 hospitals, 800 ambulatory care and outpatient clinics, 135 nursing homes, 43 residential care facilities and 206 readjustment counseling centers. According to its own figures, with 27,000 fewer employees, the VA provided care to about 930,000 more veterans during the past seven years. In a statement, the Board said: "Dr. Garthwaite is an agent for change. He was a key member of the team that turned around health services at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and we are fortunate to have a man of his caliber and experience here. These are times that cry out for change and reform in L.A. County's health system, and we believe that Dr. Garthwaite is the right man at the right time for this challenging job." A graduate of Cornell University, Tom earned his medical degree from Temple University. He completed his internship and residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals before joining VA in 1976. Board-certified in internal medicine, his VA career includes nearly 20 years of experience as a physician and clinical administrator at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, where he served as the Center's Chief of Staff for eight years.
All material on this website is
protected by copyright.
Copyright @ 2002-2003 by MSOCAL, David Geffen Medical School, UCLA
All rights reserved.