A lawsuit alleges several New York hospitals denied interpretation services and hearing assistance for a deaf patient, according to a Newsday report.
The suit, filed by Lance and Melinda Weinrib, claims three facilities routinely denied the family's requests for qualified interpreters and services, such as a video phone, during the seven months their deaf father was undergoing treatment. Lance and Melinda are also deaf.
Facilities named in the suit include Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip and Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitaion Center in Commack.
The plaintiffs' father, Alfred Weinrib, died of cardiac arrest and malignant melanoma in April. The suit claims he did not know his diagnosis at the time of his death due to the hospitals' alleged failure to make interpretation available. An attorney representing the family said Mr. Weinrib's children learned about his cancer from medical records they allegedly received four months after his death.
Hearing assistance or interpretive services were allegedly only provided after repeated demands, according to the lawsuit. The suit accuses the hospitals of discrimination and violating the state Human Rights Law and federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
A spokesperson for Good Samaritan said the hospital's policy is to "offer sign language interpretation to communicate medical or clinical information to all hearing-impaired patients," according to the report. A spokesperson for Winthrop-University Hospital declined comment, while a spokesperson for Gurwin Jewish could not be reached, according to the report.
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