Seeking to crackdown on unnecessary emergency room visits, the Los Angeles Fire Department has launched a new program called the Sobriety Emergency Response — or SOBER — Unit that will transport publicly intoxicated people to a sober center located on skid row in downtown.
The one-year pilot program, which has been in operation since November, includes an ambulance crew housed at Los Angeles Fire Station #4 on Temple Street, city officials said. The crew includes an emergency medical technician, a nurse practitioner and a case worker from the Dr. David L. Murphy Sobering Center on skid row.