The one-year pilot program aims to reduce emergency room visits for the city’s most frequent 911 callers, according to officials. Approximately 40 of these callers are experiencing long-term effects of drug and alcohol abuse and account for around 2,000 emergency calls a year, according to an LAFD analysis.
Under the program, if a 911 caller meets certain criteria, the SOBER Unit ambulance will transport that person to the Dr. David L. Murphy Sobering Center in the skid row area of downtown Los Angeles. The sobering center, which opened last year, offers detox services, helps people find treatment programs and can house approximately 50 people.
The ambulance crew includes an emergency medical technician, nurse practitioner and case worker from the sobering center.
The SOBER Unit has transported around 100 people to the sobering center since it launched in November, with the unit averaging about four people a day, according to Ralph Terrazas, LAFD Chief. Almost every patient transported was homeless, Mr. Terrazas said.
The unit operates from Tuesday to Friday and mainly targets downtown Los Angeles, but can respond to calls in Hollywood and South Los Angeles.
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