Unloading patients on skid row

[Michellex1013]

There is a dateline special on right now that states hospitals in LA are dumping patients on skidrow. As a nurse what do you think of this? From this nurse's stand point I can understand both sides. It shouldn't be a hospital's responsibility to find housing for EVERY patient, but I would not want to be apart of dumping a confused patient that has no way to take care of themself. I know to hospitals it is usually about money but as a nurse how do you feel? A lawyer on a Dateline stated that EVERY patient should have a safe home to go to before they can be discharge. What if a already homeless patient has sometype of minor injury, and after hospital care that doesn't require rehab where are they supposed to go? Is it resonable to expect a hospital to find a home for every patient that enters the hospital? I'm sure LA has a shortage of mission beds, what then? What about a homeless patient that is homeless because of drug use or ETOH that has no desire to change their living habits. If they can't find a place, should they be able to stay in the hospital, taking up a much needed bed. Does anyone have any experience with patient dumping. How you do you feel about it. What was the events around it and did you know what was going on? I'm very interested in this because I'm moving to Los Angeles soon. I'm sure this is also going on in other cities and probably more in New Orleans now r/t the lack of hospital beds and increase in population.

Michelle

[aaa rn, RN]

Under nursing news, there is a post that is very similar to your post/ It starts out with the bi-line that a female pt died, ignored ... you might be very interested in this discussion--mirrors many of your thoughts.