[herring_RN]

L.A. City Council gives preliminary approval to fines for patient dumping

Hospitals that leave vulnerable patients on skid row would have to pay $25,000.

Hospitals that discharge homeless patients on the streets of Los Angeles without their consent could be charged with misdemeanors and fined up to $25,000 under a proposed ordinance that received preliminary approval Wednesday from the City Council.

The measure is intended to curb dumping, the practice of taking patients from a hospital by taxi or ambulance and leaving them on skid row downtown. Under the new law, a health facility would not be allowed to transport a patient to a location other than his or her residence without written consent. …

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dumping15-2008may15,0,7906833.story

[Xbox Live Addict]

Originally Posted by herring_RN

L.A. City Council gives preliminary approval to fines for patient dumping

Hospitals that leave vulnerable patients on skid row would have to pay $25,000.

Hospitals that discharge homeless patients on the streets of Los Angeles without their consent could be charged with misdemeanors and fined up to $25,000 under a proposed ordinance that received preliminary approval Wednesday from the City Council.

The measure is intended to curb dumping, the practice of taking patients from a hospital by taxi or ambulance and leaving them on skid row downtown. Under the new law, a health facility would not be allowed to transport a patient to a location other than his or her residence without written consent. …

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,7906833.story

I can understand why nobody would want a homeless and vulnerable person to be discharged onto the streets, but where would a person with no permanent residence be DC'd to? A shelter? Relatives who may or may not be willing to help them?

[morte]

Originally Posted by Andreas

I can understand why nobody would want a homeless and vulnerable person to be discharged onto the streets, but where would a person with no permanent residence be DC'd to? A shelter? Relatives who may or may not be willing to help them?

my thought is that they will end up in jail.....the hospital will discharge, the patient will refuse to leave and the hosp will call police to have the "trespasser" removed.....

[herring_RN]

According to news reports this lady wanted to go to the park where she knew other homeless people. She was dropped in another city on a street where she had never been - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5298034

...Authorities are launching a criminal investigation after police officers in Los Angeles say they videotaped five hospital patients being dumped on Skid Row over the weekend....

...Police who interviewed some of the patients being left at Skid Row say that none of them reported asking to go there. One man, says Capt. Smith, had asked to be released to his children's home in Pasadena.
Our supervisors actually gave that guy a ride back to his house, and his family was outraged," Smith says. "Not only did they not know that he'd been discharged but the fact that he'd been brought to Skid Row instead of home further outraged that family."...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=6376588

...Los Angeles city prosecutors are investigating a Costa Mesa hospital for allegedly taking a mentally ill man 42 miles to downtown's skid row and leaving him near the Union Rescue Mission, officials said....

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/or...0,632522.story

A year ago there was a settlement with one hospital chain about this:
http://www.lacity.org/atty/attypress...4_05152007.pdf

[CHATSDALE]

i wonder if the city council in their wisdom provided a place for the hospitals to take these patients or have they just made a good news event and passed the buck to health care facilities

[herring_RN]

The hospital is not required to transport people anywhere at all.

Some of the people dumped on the street in the middle of the night had a home.

Is it OK for a person to be dumped in the gutter miles away when sick and confused? To a place where they have never been?
Is that the kind of country we want?
Is that the kind of people we are.

Reverend Andy Bales, the volunteers, and staff have the education and experience to help people discharged in a stable condition. Even people with mental illness and/or substance abuse.

They need notification and a plan. Social workers make these arrangements all the time.
http://www.revandysblog.com/2008/05/...ital-drop.html

Is there a nurse who thinks it is OK to drop a sick person on a dangerous street in the night far away from anywhere that person has ever been?
IS IT OK?

[unitek1963]

I have to agree with Herring (again, lol.) Our job is to CARE for the sick and injured, not to dump them off to make OUR lives easier.

Social Services should have been contacted in this case. Also, how difficult would it have been to set up a program in conjunction with the (many) shelters and services available to the homeless (esp. in L.A.!)

Someone was simply lazy here and decided that they couldn't be bothered.

Good Luck.

Michael

Originally Posted by herring_RN

The hospital is not required to transport people anywhere at all.

Some of the people dumped on the street in the middle of the night had a home.

Is it OK for a person to be dumped in the gutter miles away when sick and confused? To a place where they have never been?
Is that the kind of country we want?
Is that the kind of people we are.

Reverend Andy Bales, the volunteers, and staff have the education and experience to help people discharged in a stable condition. Even people with mental illness and/or substance abuse.

They need notification and a plan. Social workers make these arrangements all the time.
http://www.revandysblog.com/2008/05/...ital-drop.html

Is there a nurse who thinks it is OK to drop a sick person on a dangerous street in the night far away from anywhere that person has ever been?
IS IT OK?

[rjflyn]

So what happens to every other person in the ER on any given night who claims to be homeless. Thats going to be a nightmare. I agree alot more are going to end up in jail, fine you don't want to leave well here are the police they are mort than happy to give you a ride.

[tothepointe]

Wow a whole $25,000K. I have a funny feeling that the hospitals will quickly realize that the fine may be cheaper than holding on to the patient until they can find a place for them. Which is sad....

[CHATSDALE]

exactly what would the role of a nurse be in a case like this
doctor has written a discharge order, another patient is in the er waiting for a desperately need bed and social worker can't find a place that the patient will accept and/or which will accept the patient
who is a fault
the doctor
the nurse
the social worker
the ambulance driver
? ? ? ? ?