Deaf Mom-to-be gives Birth in the Wrong Hospital?

“Hello this is Byron, Cheylla needs your help…”

As a lawyer practicing civil law, you rarely receive a cry for help at 8:45 in the evening from a client. I knew that it was happening again – another client who is Deaf that could not get an interpreter for medical care.

I represent Cheylla Silva in a case against South Miami Hospital that was the subject of an August 30, 2014 Miami Herald article  We ensured – guaranteed – that Cheylla was going to receive a sign language interpreter when she gave birth at South Miami Hospital after her high risk pregnancy, so she would have the ability to understand the doctors and nurses. She would not be forced to contort her body to use a remote interpreter on a monitor that rarely works or pass notes during contractions.

However, it seems the best plans often go astray, especially when a baby was not clued into the fact that there are court cases and agreements and guaranties! The baby decided to come early, and Cheylla was bleeding. The ambulance was called and insisted on bringing her to the closest hospital, Kendall Regional Medical Center. Cheylla and her boyfriend, Byron, pled for an interpreter to every person in the hospital. The nurse asked Byron, if he could be the interpreter, and he said “no, I’m hard of hearing” so they provided the number for an interpreting service, Accessible Communication for the Deaf (ACD).

There was no communication with Cheylla or Byron until Cheylla’s younger brother, who knows a little sign language, arrived at the hospital and asked the nurse about the interpreter and was told but it would take them at least 24 hours to obtain an interpreter. Cheylla was furious. She was bleeding and having contractions, she did not know what was happening or going to happen. Her baby was just not ready. She did not know if she or her baby were going to live. She did not have 24 hours to wait to understand what was happening to her. Byron texted ACD and asked for help. Byron emailed me and pled for help.

At the same time, the head nurse tried, but could not get the video remote interpreter to work and instead, used the interpreter’s number – that Cheylla provided – to get assistance to get the video remote interpreter to work. Thereafter, Lisa Campbell from ACD called me and discussed Cheylla’s needs.

Cheylla has a right to an interpreter when giving birth. She should not be worrying about communication more than the directions that she needed, the pain she was feeling and the questions about her health, the baby’s health that she and her boyfriend would have. There are some basic tenets of care during labor that demand basic reassurances and comfort during this time. There was no other option than for ACD to provide interpreters without promise of payment. Lisa was 45 minutes away, but another ACD interpreter, Brenda Adkinson, was only 15 minutes away, and immediately went to Kendall Regional Medical Center. Brenda stayed until 5:30 the following morning, and then Lisa took over and was there when baby Zoey was born at 8:15a.m.. Interpreters then continued to be provided during her hospitalization.

Baby Zoey

Baby Zoey was born at four pounds, five ounces, and is a beautiful and healthy baby. Cheylla and Byron are doing fine.

The staff at the maternity ward knew about the article in the Herald about Cheylla, but they could not understand the importance of it since no one else has ever complained. They insisted that they called the HCA Language Line and they said they would get an interpreter in 24 hours. While she was there, ACD Interpreter Brenda Adkinson took the time to educate them:

So I then explained to them that is a misuse of VRI. It is only to be used in a reception desk environment. I said, “can you imagine being hospitalized and having to sit up to communicate? If the patient is in labor, who is going to hold the whole computer system up above the patient’s head to see it? What if Wi-Fi drops? What if you need to call tech support? Will the baby wait until tech support arrives?

A live interpreter guarantees you are able to provide best care to your patient. It is a federal law. It doesn’t come out of your pocket, let the hospital pay, why stress yourself out?

When management of the hospital were made aware of the situation, they immediately agreed to pay for the interpreter fees and agreed that VRI should only be used as an interim measure until a live interpreter arrives.

However, the denial of effective communication for the deaf is systemic. Doctors and hospitals know their duties to communicate with their patients, and many hospitals and doctors continue to ignore this duty, and even refuse to see patients. A lawyer should not be needed in the delivery room!

Byron Mena and Cheylla Silva with newborn baby Zoey

Animal Partners– A need not a want

 

Disability Independence Group hosted a wonderful committee of animal advocates for a brainstorming session on how to work together with the GOAL of creating programs, support systems and strategies that will allow the elderly, disabled and those in nursing homes or ALF’s to keep their pets or have the comfort of a pet. Some of the questions raised were: When folks have become elderly, ill, or need to go to a hospital or an ALF/nursing home, what happens to their pets? What if they are still in their home but can’t afford animal care and pet food? What safety nets exist to assist someone in those circumstances? What can we do to create those services when they don’t exist? How do we, as a community of people who care, begin a dialogue that promotes and recognizes the importance of one’s pet to his or her health and well-being?  

(click here to read more) 

 

A six year old’s fight to have his seizure dog at school.

 

Disability Independence Group filed a federal lawsuit against the Broward School Board, alleging the district discriminated against Anthony Merchante, a first grader, for imposing too many barriers to bringing his service dog to his elementary school. Anthony Marchante lives with cerebral palsy and is highly prone to seizures. His medium-sized terrier service dog, Stevie, alerts others to oncoming convulsions and helps calm the boy by licking his face. Anthony’s mother, Monica Alboniga said the district at first denied Stevie access to Nob Hill Elementary in Sunrise this year, demanding that she provide liability insurance for the dog and additional vaccinations that did not exist. Stevie was prescribed by Anthony’s neurologist at Miami Children’s Hospital and is part of Anthony’s treatment protocol. In order to be a service animal, the dog must have a temperament that allows it to stay focused on its job. Any dog that would be a direct threat to others would not be a suitable service animal. There cannot be insurance requirements or other conditions that a governmental entity or a public accommodation can place on a service animal. When Anthony’s mom initially brought this matter to the press and requested help and obtained publicity, the school board relented, and allowed Anthony to go to school with his service animal. Then, the School Board shifted tactics and demanded that Monica provide a handler for the dog since the child was not capable of doing so. Monica was required to go school every day just to care for Stevie but she was not allowed to help her son with any other activities. As a service animal, Stevie is trained to stay with Anthony and is constantly tethered to Anthony’s wheelchair, and does not eat or poop during the school day. Since it is legally required under Florida and Federal law, the Broward School Board is allowing the seizure alert and protect dog, but refuses to include the dog in Anthony’s care plan, and maintains that it has no duty to provide a handler for the dog as it disagrees with the medical prescription of Anthony’s neurologist. The Board maintains that caring for the service animal is a “personal service” of which it has no duty. However, as a child with a disability, the school board provides services from feeding to toileting for Anthony, but it considers tethering and untethering a dog from Anthony’s wheelchair is a “personal service” that is more of a burden than feeding or toileting Anthony. Further, even though Stevie was prescribed by Anthony’s neurologist, the School Board contends that this prescribed service is not necessary. However, Anthony’s care plan includes the insertion of a Diastat suppository in the event that Anthony has a seizure, but not the services performed by the dog.
Ms. Alboniga’s suit, filed last month, claims the district is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and The Rehabilitation Act by implementing excessive procedural hurdles. She’s asking the district to amend its policies and ensure that she and Anthony are not forced to fight this matter throughout the rest of Anthony’s schooling, which may last until he is 23 years old.

 

 

All cases are dependent on many factors that may or may not be present in all cases. As such, results may not be typical. You may not have as beneficial a result.