Hospitals accused of dumping homeless

The Los Angeles city attorney is investigating 10 area hospitals accused of wholesale dumping homeless patients on skid row, and plans to take legal action to stop them. The city attorney, the American Civil Liberties Union and pro-bono law office Public Counsel are jointly pursuing the cases. The groups are filing a civil action, but haven't ruled out criminal charges.

For example, just last week, a homeless man with a foot wound was dropped off on skid row by an area hospital, but ended up in so much pain that he had to be rehospitalized. Hospitals suspected of engaging in these practices include Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower Medical Center, Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center and Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center. Before considering legal action, officials had attempted to broker a binding agreement with the Hospital Association of Southern California, but the association balked at the proposed rules, which included monitoring by the ACLU.

Get more information on the issue:
- read this Los Angeles Times piece

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