Assisted Living Center Accused Of Dumping Patient On Skid Row

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — An assisted living center in Willowbrook is facing serious allegations tonight.

As CBSLA's Crystal Cruz reports, a diabetic man who is confined to a wheelchair claims the center forced him out and dumped him on L.A.'s Skid Row.

"It's sole crushing. What are you gonna do? You can't get help. You're in a homeless shelter now and you can't take care of yourself. It's just dehumanizing," said Ronald Anderson, 51, who says he was recently kicked out of an assisted living center and dropped off in front of the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles with just his wheelchair.

"I told them I can't survive in a homeless shelter. I can't take care of myself in a homeless shelter. I've been in one before and they didn't care. They said 'we can do it. We are sending you,' " said Anderson.

Anderson says he has insurance and lived at Avalon Villa Care Center for the last year-and-a-half and doesn't understand why he was abandoned here.

Rev. Andy Bales, with the shelter, is concerned that Anderson, who has diabetes, was left without insulin or his test kit.

"It hit home hard. He's also had part of his foot amputated because of the effects of diabetes. I've had my leg amputated both because of type 1 diabetes but also because of three flesh eating diseases," said Bales.

That's what he wrote to me on Twitter. A guy in a wheelchair can't survive on the streets. So I know the worry and pain he was experiencing.

Avalon sent the media a statement that reads:

Avalon Village Care Center adheres to the highest level of ethics and morals and the care of our patients is our number one priority. All care, including the discharge of patients, is conducted in compliance with all laws and regulations.

Tonight the shelter rented Anderson a hospital bed because he says he can't lay flat on an air mattress. As for the future, he doesn't know what is going to happen because he needs full time medical care.