Dozens of Hillcrest residents attended the October meeting of the Hillcrest Town Council this evening. Babbo Grande Restaurant again provided complimentary ravoli dinners to everyone. (Thanks, Tony, Carmen & Lynn!)
A great water recycling and conservation presentation was given by Kevin Swanson and Britt Cool of San Diego Water Recycling. Next up on the agenda was a forum on the role of area hospitals and the City of San Diego in serving the homeless and indigent…and its effects on the Hillcrest community. The panelists included: David Guss, MD, Chair of UCSD Emergency Medicine Department; Jim Dunford, MD, Medical Director for the City of San Diego; Dale Kelly Bankhead, Asst Dir of Govt and Media Relations with Family Health Centers of San Diego; and Davis Cracroft, MD, Senior Director of Medical Affairs for Scripps Mercy Hospital. When asked about their discharge policies, Dr. Cracroft offered that the hospital will provide bus tokens if asked. Unfortunately, some former patients without a home simply wander around the neighborhood and sleep on the sidewalk. Dr. Dunford expressed that after years of working in the area of homelessness, he is feeling optimistic about near-terms homeless solutions because of the proposed downtown one-shop homeless center, adding that the importance of all impacted groups working together to find solutions.
