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An elderly Black man was found unresponsive on a Georgia sidewalk with medical tubes still attached after he was discharged from a nearby hospital.
According to reports, the 68-year-old unidentified man received medical assistance after being discovered on Thursday (October 14) near the Piedmont Rockdale Hospital located in Conyers, a suburb of Atlanta.
"Poor guy. But he probably needs an ambulance," the 911 caller said, WSB-TV reported. "It's right in front of the Piedmont Rockdale Emergency entrance."
A hospital employee confirmed to police that the man had been receiving care at the facility for 35 days and was declared "fit to leave" by two doctors after the hospital received notification that Medicare would stop paying for his care, Conyers Police Deputy Chief Scott Freeman said in a news conference.
Security guards reportedly then dressed the man and escorted him out of the hospital.
When emergency medical responders arrived they said the man had "sepsis, a high heart rate, fever, a urinary tract infection, and a possible bladder infection."
"Common sense dictates that you do not treat human beings the way that we're seeing in this particular case," Freeman said, adding that a report would be filed with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
"This man is laying out on the sidewalk unresponsive, and this is how they brought him out," Freeman continued. "They escorted him off the property and just left him on the sidewalk. This is inhumane; this is not who we are as a city, county, or even as a country. Or at least it shouldn't be."
Piedmont Healthcare released a statement on the incident, insinuating the man may have not wanted to continue care.
"We can only provide the best care with the cooperation and consent of the patient," the hospital said in a statement. "We do our best to connect patients in need with community partners and social service organizations to provide appropriate after-hospital care, but ultimately accepting these services is at the discretion of the patient."
Medicare has not released a statement on the incident.
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