The Real LA County Hospital--The Inspiration behind DRYP: The Final Pandemic

When I was a med student at LA County Hospital back in the 1990s, I remember thinking, "if the end of the world happens, it's going to happen here." The massive county hospital was so old and haunting, it left a permanent imprint on my mind--and inspired me to write DRYP: The Final Pandemic.

I thought I'd post a photo of the old building so you can get an idea of "County's" monolithic appearance. The old "County" no longer serves patients (a newer facility was opened down the hill in 2008), but the original building still stands, and you can see it from downtown Los Angeles. You might recognize the hospital from movies and TV, too. It was featured in the TV soap opera, General Hospital, and in several movies, including the Meg Ryan movie, City of Angels, and the Jessica Alba horror film, The Eye. One of my attending physicians told me that one-third of all doctors in the Los Angeles area had done at least some training at this place. I consider myself lucky to be one of them!