A whistle-blower’s determined tune

THE STORY OF Patrick Porch is not a happy one. Nor is there much prospect, at this point, of a happy ending. But Porch’s steadfast battle for accountability in the county hospital system is inspiring and instructive nonetheless. It may even be an encouraging counterpoint to the tragedy still unfolding at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center.

A 22-year county hospital employee, Porch worked the last nine as a project manager for the mechanical department at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the hospital southwest of King/Drew that is now slated to take it over. A Compton native and African American, the 40-year-old Porch took his job and his responsibility seriously. He performed tasks outside his job description and took work home on weekends. He helped write a computer software program that made it easier for the hospital to pass accreditation inspections.

In 2003, according to documents filed in court, Porch came across some hospital purchase orders for items he suspected were not for hospital use -- patio heaters, wooden toilet seats, ceiling fans. The orders totaled roughly $900,000. He brought them to the attention of his supervisor, who brought them to the attention of Tecla A. Mickoseff, the chief executive of Harbor-UCLA.

Mickoseff had signed the orders. Porch knew that, and that he might be making trouble for himself by coming forward. But he figured it was his job.

That was the beginning of the long unraveling not just of Porch’s career but of his life. Porch had been recommended for a promotion, he says, but Mickoseff, who is white, froze promotions in his department. She then took over the department herself and staffed it with managers who were white. She also accused Porch of theft -- an accusation based on an anonymous letter that Mickoseff said she received but that Porch and his supervisor at the time never saw.

The low point for Porch probably came in September 2005, when someone threw a chemical substance in his eyes, temporarily blinding him and sending him to the emergency room. The incident occurred in the hospital’s restroom, but the culprit was never found.

Porch has been collecting workers’ compensation ever since. He filed a federal lawsuit against the county last month, alleging racial discrimination and workplace harassment.

The biggest revelation for Porch these last three years has been the refusal of the county to admit any wrongdoing. He has sent accordion file folders full of paperwork documenting the purchase orders, the accusations against him and the ordeal he has been through to every county supervisor and a slew of other elected officials, many of whom are African American.

Except for a letter from Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton), Porch has received little interest in his case -- no written responses or follow-up questions -- from officials outside his hometown of Compton. He did manage to meet with county Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, whose district includes Harbor-UCLA as well as King/Drew. But little came of it, Porch said.

For her part, Mickoseff says that, in response to Porch’s allegations and inquiries, several employees have been fired, disciplined or forced into retirement. The hospital’s purchasing practices have been streamlined. And there are now video cameras “where loss of inventory has been a problem.” She notes that the district attorney has opened an investigation into the matter and says she “looks forward” to the results.

Things may be looking up for Porch. His accusations finally got on TV last month; during a segment on KNBC-TV, Burke admitted to the possibility of misappropriated county money and to the likelihood that Porch has suffered some retaliation.

But there are many things Porch has lost already that he can never get back: a relationship with his fiancee that cracked under the strain of an imperiled job that turned into a cause; faith in black leadership; and faith in a system that he knew was imperfect but that he assumed was basically fair. What he still clings to is a belief that he’s doing the right thing, not just for himself but for other workers, especially black workers, who may come behind him.

A former football player who showed promise in neighborhood leagues, he likes to recall what Raiders owner Al Davis told him when he was cut at a Raiders training camp in 1989. “You have a vision,” Davis told him. “Don’t get down, and don’t ever let other people stop you from going where you want to go.” Porch took the advice to heart: “I’m not going to stop now.”

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