Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Examiner - March 21, 2006
Justin Jouvenal
Proposition D aims at restricting the patients admitted to the nursing home and convalescent hospital after a string of reports that physically and mentally frail elderly patients were abused in recent years by patients transferred from the overcrowded San Francisco General Hospital.
Critics say the measure's language is so broad it would force the discharge of some of the hospital's extremely ill patients.
"We performed an assessment of our patients and found 300 to 320 residents of our 1,030 patients would fit the description in the ballot measure," said John Kanaley, executive administrator of the hospital. "A lot of those people are dementia- related - people with Alzheimer's, AIDS and stroke victims."
The ballot measure, which is backed by former Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez, among others, would not allow admittance to patients at the 1,200-bed facility who are primarily suffering from psychiatric or behavorial problems, who need short-term care or who may pose a threat to safety.
Kanaley said it is the latter restriction that is too broad, because elderly patients suffering from dementia-related illnesses could be categorized as a threat to safety.
Supporters of Prop. D said such claims were "scare tactics" being used by opponents of the measure, which include Mayor Gavin Newsom, Public Health Director Mitch Katz and former City Attorney Louise Renne.
"For Mayor Newsom to play politics with Alzheimer's patients is repugnant," said Frank Gallagher, a spokesman for the Yes on D campaign. "Laguna Honda is intended to be home to some of San Francisco's most vulnerable citizens in their twilight years. Now The City is dumping potentially dangerous patients into Laguna Honda and that's not right."
Newsom spokesman Peter Ragone said, "The mayor will leave it to real medical professionals to respond to ill-informed political rhetoric."
In 2004, Laguna Honda employees claimed a 25-year-old patient enlisted gang members to beat up an elderly patient after a dispute over a TV remote control. Police found marijuana on the younger man, but could not substantiate the charges that he intended to have the elderly man beat up.
Earlier this year, the state Department of Health cited Laguna Honda for 32 instances of physical and verbal abuse between patients and other patients or patients and staff. It also found inadequate training for workers and possible abuses of patients' rights.
Prop. D supporters attribute the problems to transferring younger patients from San Francisco General due to overcrowding and tight budgets.
Voters approved a $299 million bond to rebuild the earthquake-damaged facility in 1999.
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