Hospital safety in question. Our media partners, the San Francisco standard, join us with a look at two incidents at zuckerberg San Francisco general hospital. In one case, a man died from a fentanyl overdose. But first crime curfew. San franciscos mayor wants to try a new tactic to help combat crime and drug use in the city. Youre watching, getting answers. Im stephanie sierra. A curfew may be coming to businesses in the tenderloin to curb open air drug markets. Its legislation being introduced by mayor london breed today, and it comes as the city is reporting more felony drug convictions. Jones joining us live now is San Francisco da brooke jenkins. Da thanks for being with us. Thank you for having me, stephanie. Lets start with this new curfew. It aims to prohibit overnight corner stores, Liquor Stores and smoke shops from selling certain food or Tobacco Products during certain times. Can you walk us through how it would work if passed, essentially what it would do would require them to be closed during the hours of 12 a. M. And 5 a. M. And so, what we what i do know is that i personally have received quite a bit of feedback from tenderloin residents and stakeholders, those who who are educational leaders, who have said that these, these stores, certain ones of them are really contributing to attracting a certain element of people, into the area at night. And so thats what this is about. And to be clear, it would not impact restaurants, bars or event halls. On the other hand, you know, the businesses that would be impacted argue theyll take a big hit from it. What do you say to them . Do you think this approach is fair . This is its always requires a balancing act to lead a city like this through a crisis, like we are going through. And so of course, there needs to be evidence to support the need for this, and again, we have received a lot of feedback from residents and other stakeholders in the Tenderloin Community who have indicated that this is an issue. I know that our Law Enforcement partners have have observed some of these issues, and so were trying to do everything that we can to balance the interests of those who have businesses to run, but also keeping this a safe community, turning this into a safe community. And we have to be able to balance both of those issues. Weve all seen the video of just how crowded those open air drug markets get, and the mess thats left behind. What would enforcement look like of the open air drug markets . That enforcement looks like making sure that the police are addressing all of the issues that we see happening, which is not only drug dealing, but its open air drug use. It is illegal vending of stolen goods. And its some other unsavory behaviors as well. We see violent acts and other things taking place. And so we have to make sure that we are addressing all of those issues in order to really, cure for this problem that were having. And just to clarify, the enforcement for this particular curfew for tenderloin businesses, i understand the Health Department will be involved as well with sfpd. Thats correct. My understanding is that the Health Department, along with the police department, would be ensuring that the stores are actually closed and that these stores would be subject to a fine if they remain open, and that fine would be hourly. So to the extent that they remain open, for one or more hours, the fine would increase, as they remain open through the night. 1,000. Yeah, sfpd has seized more than 194 kilos of narcotics since last may and made more than 3000 drug arrests in this neighborhood. They say the area has seen improvement. What grade would you give it now, its still a pretty tough grade right now, we certainly are not passing. So i will say that, and thats because we still have significant issues and really tough street conditions in many parts of the tenderloin that have to continue to be addressed. What we have seen is that during the daylight hours, we have seen remarkable improvement. Im hearing from residents, that they they do feel a difference during the day. I know i see that myself. But what we are experiencing now is a movement into the night hours. As soon as the sun goes down, we see an influx of people who are selling drugs and buying drugs. And like i said, selling illegal goods out on the street. And so we have had to now pivot and have both our Law Enforcement agencies as well as our non Law Enforcement partners, switch into a strategy that encompasses a lot of night Time Resources to address these issues. But there has been some improvements stemming from the increase in felony narcotic convictions. In fact, your office has specifically increased that number. The data updated today shows there have been 78 felony narcotics convictions this year. That led to 45 guilty pleas and thats up from 23 convictions and 20 guilty pleas that last year. So what do you attribute this to . The fact that we, i think, have made it clear this is something were not going to budge on. Were making sure that the evidence in these cases is solid. Weve weve given a, you know, a blueprint to the police and other Law Enforcement agencies of what we need in order to prove these cases. Weve had, success lately in our last couple of jury trials, prosecuting these types of cases. And so when they start to see that we are building strong cases and that San Francisco juries are willing to convict on this evidence, they understand that really they should be taking these offers. And so thats what we see happening is a is a greater willingness by defendants in those charged to take our plea offers before we move on. Were any of the fentanyl related convictions this year for murder . No, these were all for the sale of narcotics. We have not yet gotten our task force off the ground here in San Francisco in order to really pursue filing murder charges. We should see that take off, later this spring or into the summer, and so they are theyre being trained up by other counties on on how the task force should work. But but that should have more to come in the future. D. A, when we last spoke in january, you talked at length about our local judges, whether it was lenient sentences or not, allowing for certain dealers to be detained while their cases are still open. You said it could take 3 or 4 arrests for that to happen in certain cases. Is that still happening . On one level it is. We have seen some progress, though, lately, that with that many of our arraignments, we are seeing more, dealers be kept in. Unfortunately, one of the issues that i would like to highlight is that even in the cases where we have secured a conviction after a jury trial, we are seeing these defendants be sentenced to probation and for time served. And so that, again, is an issue. If we have gone through the lengths of a jury trial and gotten a conviction from a San Francisco jury to turn around and have that defendant be immediately released for their conduct, is concerning when they havent even spent considerable time in custody up until that point. And so, again, its really trying to get these judges to understand the severity of the of the conduct thats happening, how many lives are being lost as a result of it, and that this cannot continue without real and actual penalties . Yeah. So certainly more work to do. There okay. Lets talk about the Golden Gate Bridge protests last week. Youve encouraged anyone affected to report to chp because they may be victims of false imprisonment and entitled to some restitution. We know there was quite a range of people affected. Some missed work or doctors appointments, others trying to get to the airport. How do you see this actually playing out . Once that investigation concludes, would anyone commuting near the bridge be eligible . So again, thats on a case by case basis, our main priority is to make sure that we can have victims come into court and to articulate how this situation impacted them. In some cases, how it could have endangered their health if they were on their way to medical appointments, or if there were Health Care Professionals that werent able to provide necessary treatment to their patients because they were stuck on that bridge. We want to be able to articulate if this case goes to trial or even to a judge at the time of a potential plea or sentencing, that the severity of this conduct, whether or not someone is entitled to restitution, really depends on their individual situation. And so they will have to provide documentation to the court of what their losses were. If it was lost wages because they werent able to get to work, if they missed a flight and werent able to be reimbursed by the airline for that flight, that will be on a case by case basis. All right. Good to know. Well, before we go, its been reported some judges are feeling threatened by criminal defendants inside the courtroom, in some cases using signs with their hands to indicate those threats. Have you heard about this . And if not, do you think there should be further investigation . This is the first that im hearing of this, it is certainly something that i would take seriously as the district attorney. We cannot have our judicial officials feeling threatened or in danger while they are doing their jobs, or even when they are not doing their jobs and are and are walking about in their personal lives. And so that is something that i hope is reported to the sheriffs department, who is in charge of securing the courthouse. And if to the extent any of these findings, lead to an arrest, then my office will certainly do what it needs to do to review, those situations and decide if we have enough to charge. Da. Thank you, as always, for your time. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Well, coming up, i may already be a part of your health care. The technology now more prevalent in hospitals and doctors offices. Well speak with a doctor from Stanford Univ corporations are getting heat from the California Nurses Association to provide more oversight over how the technology is tested and used. Joining us live now is doctor robert pearl, a professor at Stanford School of medicine and business and author of chatgpt, md, how ai empowered patients and doctors can take back control of american medicine. Doctor, thanks for being with us. My pleasure. So i has advanced the world in so many ways. As your book touches on things like reducing medical errors, enhancing diagnostic precision, precision, and easing the burden of health care staffing. But weve heard from nurses this week who argue ai can also be a detriment to patients. How do you see ai being safely balanced with patient care . I think youve focused it very well in my book. The first three chapters are around the big opportunities is the way you can save hundreds of thousands of lives, make health care more affordable, higher quality, more convenient for patients. But chapter four or part for multiple chapters is all about the risks. There are risks about about bias. There are risks about security and privacy and misinformation. And so it needs to be balanced. Its why i wrote the book so we can have a conversation and a discussion. And i want to stress to viewers, the important piece is not solely whether the technology is perfect, but how does it compare to what exists today. And its my belief that dedicated clinicians, combined with empowered patients and generative ai, can improve clinical outcomes if we apply it appropriately and put the patient first. An ai program is being used at 21 kaiser hospitals in northern california. Its called the advanced alert monitor that analyzes health data to notify a nursing team when a Patients Health is at risk of serious decline. Now, the company says it saves 500 lives per year. But nurses have said theres been issues such as inaccurate alarms or even failing to detect all patients whose health is deteriorate thing you were mentioning balance a moment ago. Do you think we will get to a point where i will hold too much control in health care . I will always require a skilled and compassionate physician working with it. So i think its a question of too much. I do know a little bit about the program you describing. Ive written read about it in the past, and the answer is when youre trying to predict which patients in a hospital today, these are the ones that are medical and Surgical Unit are going to deteriorate tonight. Its a prediction and there are going to be errors in which you overestimate and ones in which youre under estimate. But the reality is that without that technology, what happens based upon the data is that people suffer severe consequences. They go on to either die initially or get admitted to the icu. And even those patients who deteriorate and are resuscitated once they get home, they have a higher likelihood of dying in the first few months after discharge. So i think that particular program is a good one. Is it perfect . No. Could it be improved . Im sure it can in, but i think that for the viewers to understand that the opportunity we have to transform medicine and to make it more continuous, to empower patients, give them information in their home, particularly those with chronic disease, 60 of americans have a chronic disease, 75 of people on medicare. This is a remarkable opportunity. And yet i concur with the nurses we have to be cautious and careful. I think we have to begin to move forward. Its not stopping generative ai. Generative ai is going to be like the iphone. Its going to be part of how we do our daily business. Its our job, and im hoping its led by clinicians, doctors and nurses together to ensure that its done in the safest way. And always puts the patient first. Some of the concerns stems from the technology evolving so fast. Theres a heightened need for more transparency. One example the fda has authorized some ai generated services before they hit the market, but politico has reported most of them were without the comprehensive data required for new medicines. Does that concern you . Obviously, the fda has to do its job in order fails to do so. That is problematic. I believe that right now there are about 600 ai applications, but for viewers, there are two different kinds of ai applications in place right now. One is called narrow ai, and all of these fda approved ones are like that. It looks at a specific Health Problem and makes specific recommendations around it. My book is about generative ai, the new ai thats out there, and this is ai thats not regulated by the fda, by the federal trade commission, the ftc, or the fda, because it cant be. Its like a telephone. It provides you with information. Its up to the patient to figure out how best to use it. And its important that we differentiate these two. Right now, patients are often left to their own ways at night, on weekends when they cant get information, theyre often having to go just to the e. R, where theyll be surrounded by people who are coughing and sick, where they have to wait a long time and the opportunity, i believe i trust patients, i believe in them. I think if we can empower them and give them information and expertise, they will do a good job. But again, i want to stress right now, particularly we have to make sure that that is done in conjunction with a clinician, with a doctor or with a nurse, and that it is appropriately supervised. And i believe that it almost all of the applications or all the ones that i know about, and ill say almost all the applications that exist fall into that category. What kind of guardrails are there when it comes to informing patient s . They may be treated with a system that relies heavily on ai. Well, it depends upon what you mean. Informing patients. We have a huge number of monitors that clinicians rely on all the time, and ai is incorporated into many of them. So ai is a major part of how we do business. I think if youre looking at the question of lets take an Insurance Company thats going to deny claims using ai, i think patients have a right to know about that. I think that we need to have a conversation between a doctor and a patient, and then a doctor, and an Insurance Company about ensuring that the right care is provided to the patient. And this is an ongoing issue. And generative ai should not be an administrative tool to get in the middle of that relationship. On the other hand, in care delivery, i think ai supports the work that is done. It is a very effective data analytic tool, and the goal needs to be to personalize that so that every patient receives the right recommendations specific to their needs, their diagnoses, their medications, their entire genomic history. That is something that Data Analytics and Generative Ai Technology can assist with. I think we need to understand this as an opportunity for the future. But again, ill be supportive of what the nurses are saying, that we have to make sure that we keep the human eye on it. And as far as i know, clinicians that i speak to, Health Systems that i talk with, nurses that i interact with and Exchange Emails with, they are all committed to the same positive outcome. Okay. Well, we appreciate your time. Doctor pearl, thank you for joining us today. Thank you so much for having me. Absolutely. Up next, we have new security concerns today at a hospital that handles 20 of San Franciscos inpatient care ahead. Our media partner, the there and a deadly fentanyl overdose at the hospital. Our media partner at the San Francisco standard spoke to the mother of that patient and has an article on it today. Paralyzed from the neck down, a patient smoked fentanyl and died. His family wants answers. Joining us live now is staff writer at the standard. David shouted, who wrote the story . David, thanks for being with us. Thanks for having me. So your article tells the story of Christopher Saylor and his death at the hospital. Tell us a little about his life and how he died. Yeah. So chris saylor suffered a bad bike accident in 2020 and became paralyzed from the neck down. He spent a lot of time in laguna honda hospital, the hospital where his addiction to opioids became worse. Uh laguna honda has had its own set of problems. It was investigated by federal regulators for two overdoses. That happened there, and his mom said that he became addicted to fentanyl while he stayed there. Uh then when he ended up at San Francisco general hospital, where he ended up, dying from a fentanyl overdose after smoking in the hospital, nurses were aware of this, and his mother had actually asked a hospital to take his drugs away, even telling them where he was hiding them. And speaking of the mom, you spoke to christophers mother. Shes understandable. Be very upset about her sons death. What does she say the hospital did wrong, right . So shes basically. She was flabbergasted. She arrived at the hospital after her son died. Had been telling the hospital that he hid his drugs in a little red box. That hung from a necklace around his neck. And when she arrived at the hospital, they gave her all of his belongings. And one of those belongings was this little red box. And she said she opened it up and there was the fentanyl that had killed her son. And that she had asked the hospital to take away. And they just handed it back to her, and she said she was just so stunned. She didnt even know what to do. This happened a little over a year ago at this point, and she said she never had, money for an attorney. And it was only when we actually got a death report for chriss death that some of these new, circumstances around his death came about and has, has brought this story back to life. Wow. Very heartbreaking. But great reporting. David and we want to pivot now and talk about the second incident at the hospital. We understand this morning, a prisoner briefly escaped through the ceiling. What do you know about this incident . Yeah. So the Sheriffs Office is disputing that this person ever technically escaped because they were still on the roof, i guess, it sounds like they were in one of the Holding Cells on the hospitals psychiatric floor. And had crawled through a ceiling vent or Something Like that to, be on the roof and authorities responded. And they you know, the patient eventually surrendered. Wow. You know, pretty unusual. I know in february this year, three prisoners launched escapes from hospital campuses in other states. And an inmate advocacy consultant reported its actually more common than you may think. Prisoners try to plan hospital escapes in advance due to the routine nature of medical visits and transports. Whats the sf generals response to these security concerns . Yeah, well, they say they have a rigorous Safety Program in place, i havent spoken with Hospital Administration about the case that happened this morning, but basically, as it relates to the Drug Overdose and concerns that nurses have about, like, psych emergencies and drug emergencies, the hospital says its working to strengthen its policies around those issues. And trying to find a solution that serves patients who are extremely vulnerable, and also nurses who are overworked. Well, well, david, thank you for your time today. We appreciate it. You can check out more of the San Francisco standards other original reporting on their website, sf standard. Com and abc seven will continue to bring you more segments featuring the standards, city focused journalism twice a wee tonight is sev, several bre stor stories. The major testimony today, the relationship between donald trump and the national enquirer. Campus protests turning violent tonight. And the vintage plane that