Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center dumps paraplegic into skid row gutter

[kurth]

Paraplegic allegedly 'dumped' on skid row
L.A. police say man was dropped off in front of dozens of witnesses by van linked to Hollywood Presbyterian hospital.
By Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton, Times Staff Writers
February 9, 2007

A paraplegic man wearing a soiled hospital gown and a broken colostomy bag was found crawling in a gutter in skid row in Los Angeles on Thursday after allegedly being dumped in the street by a Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center van, police said. The incident, witnessed by more than two dozen people, was described by police as a particularly outrageous case of "homeless dumping" that has plagued the downtown area.

"I can't think of anything colder than that," said LAPD Det. Russ Long, who called the case the most egregious of its kind that he has seen in his career. "There was no mission around, no services. It's the worst area of skid row." Los Angeles Police Department detectives said they connected the van to Hollywood Presbyterian after witnesses wrote down a phone number on the van and took down its license-plate number...

Witnesses shouted at the female driver of the van, "Where's his wheelchair, where's his walker?" Gary Lett, an employee at Gladys Park, near where the incident occurred, said the woman driving the van didn't reply, but proceeded to apply makeup and perfume before driving off. "She didn't make any attempt to help him," Lett said. "He was in bad shape. He was incoherent."

Witnesses told police that the man propped himself up in the door of the van. He then hurled himself from the vehicle, tumbling to the street. He pulled himself along, dragging a bag of his belongings in his clenched teeth...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dumping9feb09,0,7452706.story?track=mostviewed-homepage

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Jail.

Bad jail. Nasty jail. Haaaaarrrrrrrd time. For everyone involved.

[Turbineguy]

2. How's My Driving?

Call 213-413-3000

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

3. Arrest the Hospital Administrators

arrest the doctors who discharge paraplegics with nowhere to go. Arrest the nurses who know this is going on and fail to call the police.

This IS appalling. It's been chilly at night in the L.A. area and this type of story makes me feel sick. More than ever, we need a fully taxpayer-supported healthcare system. I hate to say that, because if the Bush Administration had anything to do with such a system, you know that tons of tax money would be going to cronies and contractors. But we have to do something or this society will fall apart and descend into hierarchies of the rich who live in private enclaves with civilized health care services and the barbarians at the gates who barely live the lives of human beings.

[lvx35]

4. Jail.

That's all there is to it.

[malaise]

5. Good fugging grief

What is happening to America?

[midnight]

6. Unbelievable. I think that there are only calculators in charge.

The adult humans have left the building.

[roguevalley]

7. bill frist and family own an hmo. i wonder how many he's dumped.

i can hardly bear hearing about this stuff.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. Picture this:

the CEO of that hospital dies and goes up to the Pearly Gates. He's met by Jesus, who smiles as he bars the door. The CEO is in shock. "When did I ever do anything against You, Lord?" he asks.

"You had me dumped on skid row wearing a soiled hospital gown," He answered as he turned away. "Whatsoever you do unto the least of these, you do unto Me."

[enki23]

9. unfortunately, there is no justice after this life

there are no pearly gates. it's up to us, our justice system, to get these bastards, because no invisible spirit will ever do it for us.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

14. Then take it as a story.

Which is what it was meant to be. Will these people come to justice here on earth? I certainly hope so. But until then--why not condemn them using their own belief system? That was my point! If the hospital had been Mt. Sinai or Sri Rama Crisis center, I wouldn't have posted the story I did!

Sheesh.

[drb]

11. Ding! Best answer of the day!

:D

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. Right Mr.LAPD...

"I can't think of anything colder than that," said LAPD Det. Russ Long,"

The LAPD have been dumping homeless people in Orange and Riverside for YEARS,

[Horse with no Name]

12. They do it in Dallas too

We know that a patient was homeless. They discharged them from the hospital. The question is asked what do you do?
They say you just take them outside in a wheelchair and pretend like they have a ride home.

[drb]

13. Comments may be submitted to the hospital at:

http://www.hollywoodpresbyterian.com/contactus.asp