By Laura French
LOS ANGELES — First responders from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Station 9, one of the busiest fire stations in the United States, gave an inside look into treating some of the 60,000 homeless residents of Los Angeles County.
“They’re exposed to needles, violent crime, communicable diseases you think would only exist in third-world countries, and they’re literally running nonstop,” LAFD Medical Director Mark Eckstein told ABC News’ “Nightline.”
Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said homelessness in the state is “a crisis. This is a state of emergency.”
“Nightline” followed responders working their shifts at Los Angeles’ Skid Row, which has one of the nation’s largest homeless populations living in one neighborhood. The program’s cameras captured paramedics treating overdoses and medical conditions that are typically preventable with basic healthcare. Many of the homeless residents also suffer from poor mental health.
“We’re trying to stop the bleeding,” said Eckstein. “We’re trying to get help for the most vulnerable people in our society.”
See the full “Nightline” report below: