From: Ellen K. 

Actually I think this proposal is a good one.  Los Angeles County is the
homeless capital of the country.  The proposal is well thought out and
actually I've seen some of the programs and housing first hand (via one of
the charities to which I contribute) and am very impressed to think that
now outfits like that one will be able to do much more.  So it was a good
thing that particular woman was out on the street in hospital gown and
socks, for once the proverbial last straw NEEDED to be loaded onto the
camel.

On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 10:56:10 -0500, "Rich Gauszka"
 wrote in message :

>We don't have to do an all or nothing  solution.  A society needs to deal
>with it's problems  ( those with dementia etc ) and not go into a look the
>other way/dumping remedy.
>
>
>
>"Ellen K."  wrote in message
>news:lfpc221cm1s13g78bhdgljntpthdr4k0i1{at}4ax.com...
>> The result is that we are going to have a $100 million program to combat
>> homelessness, including regional centers where persons being discharged
>> from hospitals or jails who have no home to return to will be taken.
>> (Please excuse the scrambled syntax.)
>>
>> On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 22:34:09 -0500, "Rich Gauszka"

>> wrote in message :
>>
>>>No national health care needed here as dumping is cheaper
>>>
>>>http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/24/D8GHV8KO5.html
>>>
>>>Authorities are examining a surveillance tape that shows an elderly woman
>>>wandering Skid Row in a hospital gown and slippers as they
investigate the
>>>practice of hospitals and police agencies dumping homeless people
>>>downtown.
>>>
>>>Carol Ann Reyes, 63, of Gardena, was taken from a Kaiser Permanente
>>>hospital
>>>in Bellflower on Monday to the downtown area known as Skid Row,
>>>authorities
>>>said.
>>>
>>>A surveillance camera outside the Union Rescue Mission showed Reyes
>>>walking
>>>from the direction of a taxi that had just driven away. She wandered the
>>>street for about three minutes before a mission staff member brought her
>>>inside.
>>>
>>>City officials have been looking into the alleged dumping of homeless
>>>people
>>>in Skid Row, a ramshackle area downtown.
>>>
>>>Several hospitals have acknowledged that they put some
discharged indigent
>>>patients with nowhere else to go into taxicabs headed to the area because
>>>it
>>>offers a chance for getting services and shelter. Los Angeles police also
>>>are investigating whether other law enforcement agencies dump people
>>>without
>>>anywhere else to go downtown.
>>>
>>>"We have been looking into homeless dumping for some time,
and this (tape)
>>>gives us another example of what has been going on," said
Frank Mateljan,
>>>a
>>>spokesman for the city attorney's office.
>>>
>>>Diana Bonta, vice president of public affairs for Kaiser Southern
>>>California, said the hospital attempted to find a shelter for Reyes, but
>>>when that failed, it was determined that she would be taken to the Union
>>>Rescue Mission. Hospital officials are trying to find out why Reyes, who
>>>was
>>>in the hospital after suffering a bad fall, was left on the street still
>>>wearing her hospital gown and slippers.
>>>
>>>The incident violated hospital policy and will not occur again, she said.
>>>
>>>"We have a policy of treating our patients with compassion
and care,"
>>>Bonta
>>>said. "This should not have happened."
>>>
>>>Andy Bales, president the Union Rescue Mission, where Reyes
remained, said
>>>the incident was the third in the past week in which security cameras
>>>caught
>>>taxis dropping people in the area. The problem will continue until a
>>>coordinated discharge plan between hospitals and shelters is created, he
>>>said.
>>>
>>>"We just can't drop people off like baggage," he
said. "We can't have a
>>>society where these people have nowhere to turn when they need
care."
>>>
>>>State Sen. Gil Cedillo of Los Angeles, a Democrat, has introduced a bill
>>>that would prohibit any arresting agency from taking people who need drug
>>>treatment, mental health services or shelter outside their jurisdiction.
>>>
>>>Los Angeles County officials are also considering establishing five
>>>regional
>>>homeless centers in an attempt to reduce dumping, the Los Angeles Times
>>>reported Friday.
>>>
>>>The regional homeless centers plan would spread the responsibility of
>>>caring
>>>for the homeless to suburbs instead of concentrating it downtown, the
>>>newspaper said. Each 30-bed center would operate 24- hours a
day and would
>>>accept people from hospitals, police and care providers. The
goal would be
>>>to find the resident permanent housing and services such as mental health
>>>and substance abuse treatment, officials said.
>>>
>>
>

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