Paramedic Scott Lazar, a 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, is used to treating the same person, sometimes on the same day, on Skid Row. 'Deja vu, yeah, it's every day down here,' Lazar told 'Nightline' as he treats a man for an overdose, as he did just the day
Paramedic Scott Lazar, a 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, is used to treating the same person, sometimes on the same day, on Skid Row.
It's been described that each homeless person is like a lock with its own unique key. There isn't a single solution that works for all of them. It's something the firefighters have come to know. But potential solutions are stalling as fears over disease and public safety clash with the realities of mental illness, addiction and poverty.Last week, Newsom proposed a $1.4 billion plan to address this as debate in the state rages over long-term solutions.
LAFD Medical Director Mark Eckstein said responders at this station are exposed to extraordinary danger every day. Over several months with Station 9, there was a fair share of misery, but also glimmers of hope -- like a man who goes by the name Mango. He's become a self-appointed aide to the firefighters, stepping out into crowded streets to stop traffic so fire trucks can zip through. Sometimes he'll even clear the city's street gutters.Mango gave"Nightline" a tour of the Skid Row neighborhood, where he was often greeted as if he were the mayor.
"It's crazy to me. Because police officers, with minimal medical training, have that authority now to take 'em wherever they want. But our paramedics, who have much higher medical authority, are not allowed to do so ... because it's not compliant with county protocol," he explained.
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