More than a year after an elderly hospital patient was found wandering a crime-ridden area in a hospital gown and slippers, the nation's largest HMO agreed in a settlement with the city to changes aimed at ending the dumping of homeless patients on streets.Kaiser Permanente will create new protocols for discharging homeless patients in its chain of hospitals, train staff and allow a retired U.S. district judge to monitor its progress, officials said Tuesday.
Carol Ann Reyes, 64, was discharged from Kaiser's Bellflower hospital in March 2006 and dropped off by a taxi outside the Union Rescue Mission in the city's notorious Skid Row area. She wandered around, apparently confused, for several minutes until mission staff took her in.
City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo filed charges in November and said he wanted to send a message to hospitals nationwide that engage in patient dumping. Los Angeles authorities are investigating allegations that a dozen area hospitals have dumped more than 50 homeless patients downtown.
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