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LOS ANGELES, CA---They claimed they have a policy of compassion and care.
But a surveillance tape shows otherwise.
A video camera captured a 63-year-old patient from Kaiser Permanente’s Bellflower hospital being dumped in a downtown area known as skid row, dressed only in a hospital gown and slippers.
A camera mounted outside the Union Rescue Mission shows Carol Ann Reyes, 63, of Gardena, Ca.,,a homeless person, walking from the direction of a taxi which had just driven away. She wandered the street for several minutes before staff members from the mission took her into their building.
Hospital officials apologized for the incident at a news conference Wednesday. The dumping of homeless people on skid row by area hospitals and jails after they are released is being investigated. Diana Bonta, vice president of public affairs for Kaiser Southern California said that the hospital had unsuccessfully tried to find a shelter for Reyes. They claimed that she was being taken to the mission but couldn’t explain why she was left wandering the street wearing a hospital gown and slippers. She said the incident violated hospital policy and wouldn’t happen again.
Reyes, who had been hospitalized for three days following a fall, said in an interview that she didn’t remember leaving the hospital and didn’t know how she got to skid row.
Officials said that the city attorney’s office is investigating and could bring criminal charges or litigation against hospitals who dump patients.
A mission spokesman said it was the third time in a week that their cameras had caught taxis dumping people off in the area. Andy Bales, mission president, and “we just can’t drop people off like baggage. We can’t have a society where these people have nowhere to turn when they need care”.
A bill that would prohibit any law enforcement agency from taking people in need of drug treatment, mental health services or shelter outside their jurisdiction has been introduced by State Sen. Gil Cedillo of Los Angeles, a Democrat.
County officials are discussing the creation of five regional homeless shelters to ease the burden on the downtown area. 3-24-06
© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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