21.   Noncritical patients were being discharged to make room for the injured.

22.   Often heart patients are discharged from the hospital without adequate instructions on how to stay healthy, said Dr. Jane Pederson of Stratis Health, a Minnesota consulting company.

23.   Or patients are discharged with a handful of prescriptions.

24.   Patients are discharged sooner, and so they need more vigilance, not less, said Kit Costello, president of the California Nurses Association in Sacramento.

25.   She acknowledged that some birth centers offering a home-like environment discharge their patients after six hours.

26.   She eventually managed to discharge the patient without morphine.

27.   She added that each facility will close as soon as the last patient is discharged or transferred.

28.   Some hospitals say they have had difficulty discharging these patients.

29.   State officials say they do not discharge patients unless there is appropriate housing for them.

30.   That mandate has frequently forced administrators to discharge patients who in many cases pose a threat to themselves or others.