[Imc-cleveland] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[jeak1027 at aol.com]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  Contact:  Heather West

July 24, 2007                                                                                 440-801-1998

                                                                                                       216-255-1663 (Day of Event)

 

DEAF & DEAF-BLIND PATIENTS 

DENIED COMMUNICATION WITH MEDICAL PROVIDERS 

AT LAKE SYSTEM HOSPITALS

 

Euclid, Ohio –  Deaf & Deaf-Blind patients who have been denied sign language interpreting services at Lake Hospital System (LHS) facilities and their supporters will hold a press conference on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 11:00 am at the Euclid Public Library.  The Deaf & Deaf-Blind Committee on Human Rights (DDBCHR), a grassroots advocacy organization, has documented over a dozen cases of Deaf & Deaf-Blind patients being refused qualified sign language interpreters, a service that is required by law according to the Americans with Disabilities Act in serious medical situations.  Former patients at both Lake East and Lake West Hospitals will describe their frightening experiences including going through heart surgery, cancer diagnosis, and a stroke all without access to qualified interpreters to allow them to communicate effectively with their doctors and nurses.  The stories will also be told of four former Deaf patients at LHS who have since died, never having been provided with adequate communication with their medical providers.  DDBCHR leaders contend that had qualified interpreters been provided, some of these patients might still be alive today.  

 

Following the press conference, the group will attend a meeting with LHS Administrators at the hospital offices in Painesville at 1:00pm.  DDBCHR leaders will present their demands for improved services and care for Deaf & Deaf-Blind patients.

 

Reporters will have the opportunity to ask questions of Deaf and Deaf-Blind individuals through the use of nationally certified sign language interpreters. 

 

WHO:                 The Deaf & Deaf-Blind Committee 

on Human Rights 

 

DATE:                Tuesday, July 31, 2007

 

TIME:                 11:00 a.m.

 

LOCATION:     Euclid Public Library

                             631 East 222nd St. in Euclid, Ohio

                             (From Downtown Cleveland: Take I-90 East to E. 222nd exit #183, go north on E. 222nd for .7 miles.  The Library will be on your right.)

                                                                                



 Heather M. Kendel/Office Manager 
DDBCHR/440-801-1998

"Step Inside The Silence &
Make Some Noise!"

________________________________________________________________________
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