Yet...oddly enough there is an animal shelter right next to Shade Tree. An animal shelter that provides cool a/c, food, water & shelter to animals as homeless PEOPLE sleep outside around it. I wonder how much it cost to build and maintain that shelter? Couldn't that $$$ have gone to establish homeless programs for those who really do not want to be homeless and are willing to comply with such rules of the programs? Surely not all homeless choose to be so. I find it absolutely ridiculous that this animal shelter sits among tent cities of homeless of which most don't even have access to a shower once a week. Where are our priorities people?!!

LarryVegas ... my son is 1 1/2 years and yes, I have insurance now - but what difference does that make? Murphy's law... when you have it you won't need it, when you don't you will. Bottom line, no thanks to Sunrise or Valley hospital, if I wouldn't have trusted my gut my son might not be here.

As for both sides of the story...I get that nurses follow protocol as to patient's needs. However, I take issue with the fact that ER's do not consider an unborn child priority when a woman is obviously in extreme pain & possibly going into labor. Case in point, when I was told what I was @ Sunrise hospital.

It actually costs more to sentence someone to death than it does to incarcerate them for life.

CODIGGLER!!!!!!

You my friend, are an idiot.

Oh, and FYI: I'm white, educated, and was eligible for medicaid because I have worked and paid taxes. Times have changed in regards to discrimination, and you too could one day end up in a similar scenario.

Merry Hollydays to you ... please don't drink & drive.

I had similar experiences which almost caused me to lose my now 1 12 yr. old son. At 20 wks. I was spotting & cramping so I went to Sunrise Hospital. They failed to do a complete ultrasound which would have shown my cervix was incompetent. Not only did they fail to do a complete check of what may have been causing my complications but I was told, "You will either loose it or you won't, there's nothing we can do. Besides, you should be @ UMC because you are uninsured."
A week later my Medicaid was approved & I went to a Dr. who did an ultrasound and discovered my condition which he said should have been seen @ Sunrise. He ordered an emergency cerclage surgery.
At 37 weeks the cerclage was removed & soon after I began having contractions. Over the next week I went to Valley Hospital 3 times, but my OBGYN insisted on inducing my labor AFTER he returned from vacation - a week after my due date!!!
I couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong so I went in the phonebook & called the first OBGYN I found. He agreed I should be induced & after an office visit scheduled induction the next day. During labor the baby's heart rate kept dropping & I almost had to have an emergency C-section. Turns out - if I wouldn't have found another Dr. willing to induce my son could have been born with brain damage or even still born because the contractions I had been having were causing him so much distress.
My heart goes out to this family, and although I know no amount of money can bring back their loss"I hope they nail them to the wall!!!

By RHG "This should be called the "Rewarding Illegal Alien Lawbreaker Act."

Exactly!

I know for certain you are not suppose to be in the country while you're applying @ least that's what their "rules" state. & what for the other immigrants here in "legal limbo" under different circumstances beyond their control? do they get a pass on the bureaucratic red tape cutting as do their counterparts? Counterparts, who for sake of making a bad decision in a mate-which is completely within their control, should not have been here in the first place...

Bob died today - and I miss him.

I miss the day ditching Fremont - major goal was to cross the Blvd and not get caught by truant, but we did and he said, "Stay in school, you're gonna need it."

I miss the Zsa Zsa Gabor show when I almost got to speak to Roseanne and shake Bob's hand. But he could barely see me standing there in front of him. It was my birthday and I felt so unimportant at the same time, not. I miss it

I miss - but recall, when he came. I didn't recognize the scars that presented themselves in front of the man that followed him. I just wanted to know, why was this guy bothering my high, my vibe? I remember he said, "You know, you shouldn't gamble, it's not good for you." And then he walked out, followed. A week later I left town. I did, and I kept doing the same, except gambling because it wasn't in Denver. Not worth the hour drive up in to the mountains. But I remembered and appreciated the gesture - and still don't know why he did it. What brought him to OG's? Was it particularly for me? I have to wonder, because it was late daytime & no one was in there but me, a few chicks', the bartender & the machines.

And today he died, and I never got to say thank you. Thank you for encompassing the Naked City that aided in shaping my character, because he did you know-he shaped it & helped make it what it still is today; naked and raw, beckoning for the shadow of the Stratosphere.

He died today and I just wanted to thank him for saving my life, saving my essence so far as to write this now.

If that gray haired unrecognizable man never walked into that place, that day, I would not be here- not writing this, but drowning in crack or my sentence or the dirt and bugs eating me alive. I was dying, but am alive now -- barely, but I am alive, and he is too.

Thank you, Bob.

Bob died today - and I miss him.

I miss the day ditching Fremont - major goal was to cross the Blvd and not get caught by Truant, but we did, and he said, "Stay in school, you're gonna need it."

I miss the Zsa Zsa Gabor show when I almost got to speak to Roseanne and shake Bob's hand. But he could barely see me standing there in front of him. It was my birthday and I felt so unimportant at the same time, not. I miss it

I miss - but recall, when he came. I didn't recognize the scars that presented themselves in front of the man that followed him. I just wanted to know, why was this guy bothering my high, my vibe? I remember he said, "You know, you shouldn't gamble, it's not good for you." A week later I left town. I did, and I kept doing the same, except gambling because it wasn't in Denver. Not worth the hour drive up in to the mountains. But I remembered and appreciated the gesture - and still don't know why he did it. What brought him to OG's? Was it particularly for me? I have to wonder, because it was late daytime & no one was in there but me, a few chicks', the bartender & the machines.

And today he died, and I never got to say thank you. Thank you for encompassing the Naked City that aided in shaping my character, because he did you know - he shaped it & helped make it what it still is today. Naked and raw, beckoning for the shadow of the Stratosphere.

He died today and I just wanted to thank him for saving my life. Saving my essence so far as to write this now.

If that gray haired unrecognizable man never walked into that place, that day, I would not be here- not writing this, but drowning in crack or my sentence or the dirt and bugs eating me alive. I was dying, but am alive now -- barely, but I am alive, and he is too.

Thank you, Bob.

L. J. Perceval 9/25/09

I agree with you geezelouise. Not only are alternative sentences, treatment and probation cheaper than incarceration (tents or otherwise), but it institutes more rehabilitation as oppose incarceration which is always a smart idea (for non-violent crimes). Besides being cheaper, rehabilitation also contributes to lowering recidivism (the rate at which offenders may reoffend and/or return to prison)which is a primary factor in high incarceration rates across the country. If offenders are given the tools needed to rehabiliatate themselves and become positive contributions to society, they are less likely to reoffend. Keep in mind that an offender can also contribute to the cost of their own rehabilitation because they are not incarcerated, therefor they can work and be ordered by the court to pay fines (which in turn pays for treatment), or maybe a percentage of the cost. There are many smart alternatives to mandatory sentences for non-violent crimes.