City Attorney’s Solution To Homeless “Dumping”: Sue The Hospitals

Los Angeles City Attorney, Rocky Delgadillo, says that hospitals that “dump” patients in the downtown Skid Row area could face criminal charges or lawsuits. Here's an article about it.

Hospitals admit to the practice of sending patients who are homeless to homeless service agencies—whether in downtown Los Angeles or other areas. (Here at PATH—5 minutes outside of downtown—we also receive people discharged from hospitals.)

If a patient is released from the hospital, but has no place to go, is it the hospitals responsibility to make sure this patient has a home? Is it a crime, if they don’t ask?

Would it be a crime if they sent a discharged patient to a mission in downtown Los Angeles, but when the patient leaves the vehicle he stays on the street instead of entering the mission?

Rather than threaten hospitals with legal action, it makes more sense to provide hospitals with places where they can discharge homeless patients—these Regional Homeless Centers should be located throughout the county, and include services and emergency beds.