Inclusion Daily Express -- Homeless Patient Sues Hospital For Dumping Him On Skid Row

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Homeless Patient Sues Hospital For Dumping Him On Skid Row
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
January 17, 2008

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA--The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California has filed a lawsuit against Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center on behalf of a paraplegic man who claims he was inappropriately discharged from the hospital last February and dumped him in the street.

Gabino Olvera, 42, is accusing the hospital of committing elder abuse, negligence and infliction of emotional distress in the incident, which was witnessed by more than two dozen people in an area of downtown Los Angeles commonly known as "Skid Row".

Some witnesses, many of whom were homeless, said the hospital's van driver dropped Olvera off several feet from the curb. Olvera was then seen pulling himself to the sidewalk in a soiled hospital gown, clenching between his teeth a bag with his belongings, while his broken colostomy or catheter bag dragged on the pavement behind him.

When the crowd confronted the driver, they said she was more concerned with fixing her makeup and was angry that Olvera had soiled the seats of the van.

The suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, reportedly seeks unspecified damages and asks the court to order the hospital to follow laws regarding how homeless patients are discharged. The ACLU claims that, in addition to dumping Olvera on the street, the hospital failed to diagnose or treat a urinary tract infection or his mental illness.

"This is the most callous and obscene example of homeless dumping we have ever seen," ACLU director Mark D. Rosenbaum told the Los Angeles Times. "They treated him like refuse at the hospital, and they treated him like refuse when they dumped him in the gutter."

The City Council is considering a proposal that would make it a crime for hospitals in Los Angeles to leave patients at places other than their homes or where they could continue to receive proper care.

Related:
"Hospital sued in alleged dumping of patient" (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/2008/red/0117c.htm
"Lawsuit Alleges Hospital Left Paraplegic Man On Skid Row" (KNBC)
http://www.knbc.com/news/15077724/detail.html

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