Category: Healthcare

Justice Department reaches agreement with Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center to ensure accessibility for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada secured an agreement with Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center, LLC, to ensure that patients and their companions who are deaf have needed auxiliary aids and services, including qualified in-person or video remote interpreting services. The new internal policies will be enforced in all 190 affiliated … Continued

Looking for survey responses for a telehealth study

Have you used telehealth services? If you have, the Southwest ADA Center would like to hear from you! The Center is asking people with disabilities to complete a survey so they can learn about their experiences using telehealth services. Learn more and take the survey.

Study on how to improve health care access for people with disabilities

The University of Guam’s Nursing Program at the Margaret Perez Hattori-Uchima School of Health is leading a five-year research study to learn how to improve health care access for people with disabilities in Guam and other areas in the western U.S., including Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada. The five-year project will conclude in 2026 and … Continued

Federal Cuts and ACL Elimination: How will this impact disability programs and services?

Congress is considering drastic budget cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the upcoming weeks. These budget cuts put critical programs and services for people with disabilities at risk, including the Pacific ADA Center and the entire ADA National Network. HHS plans to “reorganize” the Administration on Community Living (ACL). Established … Continued

Accessible medical equipment changes and requirements

The Rocky Mountain ADA Center has a new blog post that talks about recent changes to requirements for accessible medical equipment for healthcare providers. This post includes a summary of these changes and answers to common questions. For more information, see the blog post, “Accessible Medical Equipment Changes and Requirements“.

Available now: Free at-home COVID-19 tests, including a more accessible option

Every U.S. household can now order more free at-home COVID-19 tests through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and the United States Postal Service. These tests will detect the current COVID-19 variants and can be used through the end of 2024. Each order will … Continued

Supreme Court to decide if retirees can claim disability discrimination in benefits

The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear a case that will decide whether retirees can sue for disability discrimination because of changes to retiree benefit plans. A former firefighter sued the city of Sanford, Florida, claiming it discriminated against her when it shortened the length of health benefits for disabled retirees. … Continued

U.S. Access Board issues final rule setting low transfer height for certain medical diagnostic equipment

On July 25th, the U.S. Access Board issued a final rule setting a low transfer height of 17 inches for medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) used when people are lying face-up, face-down, or on their side, or sitting up. The rule removes the old accessibility standards for MDE, which allowed for a low transfer height of … Continued

Justice Department to publish final rule to improve access to medical care for people with disabilities

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland signed a final rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to improve access to medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) for people with disabilities. Accessible MDE is very important for people with disabilities to have equal access to medical care. MDE includes equipment like: Medical examination tables, Weight … Continued

New rule to increase nondiscrimination protections and improve civil rights in health care

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a new final rule that applies to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act — which doesn’t allow discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability. The final rule improves civil rights protections for people who use health programs and services funded … Continued