St. Vincent Charity Hospital Launches Program To Improve Medical Care for the Deaf

Cleveland — March 21, 2007 — Imagine trying to communicate with your doctor if you cannot hear a word he says. He is asking you important questions, but you do not understand them. He is giving you important medical instructions, but you don’t know what they mean. If you are D/deaf and cannot speak, this scenario often reflects the state of your medical care – a vacuum of information, a roadblock to your care.

As part of its mission, St. Vincent Charity Hospital (SVCH) is launching a Deaf Access Program with the goal of improving medical care to those who are either D/deaf or hard of hearing. The effort is part of the hospital’s mission to fulfill unmet needs in the community – including solutions to better serve the D/deaf community. The program is being funded with grants from the Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation and the Mount Sinai Foundation. In addition to the grants, SVCH will provide in-kind support for the first year.

In Cuyahoga County, there are an estimated 36,000 adults who have severe hearing loss (deafness) and an additional 146,000 adults who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. This community has been defined as “medically underserved.” According to research, many persons with deafness are unable to clearly communicate with healthcare providers. In one study, 37 percent of survey respondents understood only “some” or “very little” of what their physicians were communicating, seven percent understood “nothing” and more than half misunderstood what had been said. This is a major concern because caregivers are communicating potentially lifesaving information.

The Deaf Access Program at St. Vincent Charity Hospital was developed by an independent task force and will be available throughout the hospital. Caregivers will work closely with key collaborating organizations on this project, including: Caritas Connection; Catholic Charities’ Ministry to Persons with Disabilities; Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center; the local deaf community; and St. Augustine Parish.

There are very few models of Deaf Access Programs nationally. Based on a model program at Chicago’s Sinai Health System, “Our program will provide a range of tools, including interpreters, video relay, picture boards and other supportive hardware, equipment for inpatient rooms, building signage, and ongoing staff awareness training,” said Tracy Gretick, MSSA, LISW, who has joined the hospital as deaf access program coordinator. “As a part of my role, I will be conducting sign language classes so that staff can learn to sign, and we hope to see an increase in employment of staff and physicians who sign.”

With 18 years of experience working with the D/deaf community, Gretick will be teaching Caregivers how to work with D/deaf patients. “The goal is to make individuals who are hard of hearing or Deaf as comfortable as possible from the moment they make contact with the Hospital and throughout their visit. To do this, we will provide training and tools to give staff the confidence they need to best serve these individuals,” she explained.

Other tools will include a placard indicating that a patient is D/deaf or hard of hearing that will follow the patient and be posted at his or her bedside. A sticker will also be placed on the patient’s medical chart and at the nurse’s intercom station to alert nurses. A variety of assistive listening devices will facilitate communications, including portable TTYs and amplifiers. Communication boards will also be made available to allow patients to point to pictures to easily make their needs known (e.g., “I need to use the restroom”) and to help providers communicate basic ideas (e.g. “You need a clean gown” or “You will receive an injection of medicine”). Lighted sensors will be placed on doors to alert D/deaf patients when someone is about to enter the room. Finally, staff will receive extensive training to make them more aware of and responsive to the special needs of D/deaf patients.

Providing access to care for the D/deaf and hard of hearing communities is the right thing to do for a faith-based hospital,” said Hospital President and CEO Jeffrey S. Jeney.