SKID ROW INVESTIGATION HOSPITAL, AMBULANCE FIRMS PROBED.Byline: RICK ORLOV Staff Writer A Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. hospital and two private ambulance companies are being investigated on allegations they discharged homeless patients onto Skid Row skid row a run-down area frequented by alcoholics. [Am. Culture: Misc.] See : Alcoholism Skid Row district of down-and-outs and bums. [Am. Usage: Brewer Dictionary, 1008] See : Failure against their will over the weekend, officials said Tuesday. The allegations follow reports that police agencies from other cities dump the homeless on Skid Row and the claims have reignited controversy amid a renewed city effort to clean up the area. Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, joined by some City Council members and other officials, said the city is putting all hospitals and ambulance companies on notice that dumping patients on Skid Row will not be tolerated. ``There is an expression in the medical community of, `First, do no harm.' When a hospital or ambulance service drops someone in Skid Row and leaves them there against their will, they are exposing them to danger,'' Bratton said at a downtown news conference. ``We cannot allow the dumping of those who need care in Skid Row. And shame on those who do.'' The newest allegations arose Sunday when officials said two ambulance companies -- APT Ambulance Co. and Pro-Care Mobile Medical -- were seen and videotaped dropping off five patients that had been discharged from the Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center. Officials with the ambulance companies declined to comment. Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center released a statement denying the accusations and saying it released patients only to the locations they requested. Officials with the City Attorney's Office said they are investigating to determine if any laws were violated. One of the people who was dropped off lived in the Northeast San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and reportedly had requested to be taken to his home. ``When we told the family what had happened, they were outraged,'' Bratton said. ``Rightfully so. They didn't know he was being discharged and they didn't want him taken to Skid Row.'' The renewed emphasis on cleaning up Skid Row began last year with reports of police agencies from other cities dumping their homeless on the streets of downtown. Councilwoman Jan Perry Jan Perry (circa. 1954 —) currently represents the 9th district of the Los Angeles City Council. External links
Preceded by Rita Walters Los Angeles City Councilwoman , who represents the area, said she has been hearing continued complaints of patient dumping there and had her own experience with the issue. ``I saw a man, with a walker, on the streets, in a hospital gown A hospital gown (also known as a patient gown, exam gown, johnny shirt or johnny gown) is a short-sleeved, thigh-length garment worn by patients in hospitals or other medical facilities. and obviously sick,'' Perry said. ``I was able to get him in to County-USC Medical Center for treatment when it was clear to me that he had been dumped on the streets.'' Perry also said she is upset with delays in getting a legal opinion on how the city can clean up the streets and sidewalks of Skid Row. Since the city boosted efforts to roust roust tr.v. roust·ed, roust·ing, rousts To rout, especially out of bed. [Probably alteration of rouse.] homeless people from the area, there has been a growing problem with the accumulation of trash and the spread of bacteria and viruses. Homeless people often leave piles of belongings on the street, which officials fear removing because of legal liability. Under current city guidelines, any property that a homeless person An individual who lacks housing, including one whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations; an individual who is a resident in transitional housing; or an individual who has as a primary residence a can carry with them -- even if it takes several trips -- cannot be removed as trash. The City Attorney's Office was supposed to give the council a legal opinion on the issue Tuesday but said it needed more time for research. ``I just want to know what we can do to keep these streets clean,'' Perry said. ``We are all working too hard to clean up Skid Row without getting interference from our own people.'' Perry said she also is going to look into concerns that the state Parole Administration might reduce the number of officers assigned to the area. Parole spokesman Jerome Marsh said the agency has assigned two more officers to the area to work with LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. and the District Attorney's Office. ``From everything we've heard, everyone is pleased with the program, and we would like to be able to continue it,'' Marsh said. ``But there is no funding for these officers, and unless we can find a source of funds, we will have to reassign them.'' The crackdown crack·down n. An act or example of forceful regulation, repression, or restraint: a crackdown on crime. Noun 1. on crime on Skid Row -- which has included 50 more officers assigned to the area -- has paid dividends already, police said. In the four-week period since the Safer Cities Initiative began, Capt. Andrew Smith Andrew Smith or Andy Smith may refer to:
``The law enforcement part is working,'' Smith said. ``We just need to get everyone else on board.'' rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: A photo supplied by the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . shows Johny Williams being taken from an ambulance to the Volunteers of America Volunteers of America, national nondenominational organization providing a wide variety of human services as part of a Christian ministry of service. Founded (1896) by Ballington and Maud Booth (see Booth, family) after their withdrawal from the Salvation Army, the center. Police say Williams was one of five patients from L.A. Metropolitan Medical Center who were videotaped Sunday being dropped off on Skid Row near downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . Los Angeles Police Department |
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