Texas senate bill re: interpreters at doctor and hospitals

Miss-Delectable

Miss-Delectable

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Bill to Provide Interpreters for Deaf at Doctor's

A state senate bill looks at making available interpreters for deaf patients at doctor's offices and hospitals.

News Channel 25 talked with several deaf Waco residents, through and interpreters, and found out many times their problems communicating with physicians, can have frustrating results and lead to potential mishaps and a misdiagnosis.

Senate Bill 214 would seek to alleviate the problem for pre arrainged appointments.

Good news, considering for many deaf residents, provding their own interpreter can be costly. One expert we talked to said estimates can run almost $40 a day to provide their own interpreter.

However, still no word on how any program could effectively treat deaf patients in emergency situations.

If passed the program could cost the state $300 thousand dollars a year.

No word yet on when the Texas Senate will consider the bill.
 
Miss-Delectable said:
Bill to Provide Interpreters for Deaf at Doctor's

Good news, considering for many deaf residents, provding their own interpreter can be costly. One expert we talked to said estimates can run almost $40 a day to provide their own interpreter.

However, still no word on how any program could effectively treat deaf patients in emergency situations.
Click to expand...

I don't understand the part about Deaf providing their own interpreter. ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) says that terps are provided at Dr/hospital's expense, even for ER visits. When did this change?
 
ITPjohn said:
I don't understand the part about Deaf providing their own interpreter. ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) says that terps are provided at Dr/hospital's expense, even for ER visits. When did this change?
Click to expand...

It never 'changed'. Most of us didnt fully understand the ADA. There's some exceptions where the ADA is permissibly thrown out the window. Example, the person needing the interpreter is an illegal drug user is NOT protected by ADA.

Richard
 
In Norway, a deaf person is given 90 to 100 hours of free terp every year for anywhere they wish. A friend was telling me how he got to cut in the LOOOONG line at the tryouts for Norge Idol (American Idol) because he was running out of time with his terp. :) Funny. LOL. Yeah, he did well and impressed the judges but he was disqualified since he didn't use voice.. only norwegian sign language in case you were curious.
 
I have a friend who was handcuffed because the police thought he was on PCP. He was just having a diabetic attack. His wife tried to tell the doctor and the police, but they didn't believe her. Jeez.
 
None of the Deaf clients that I know in South Carolina pay for their medical terps. The doctors/hospitals pay all the terp expenses. If a doctor or hospital or medical service accepts government money (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.), then they must pay for terp services.

However, it is the responsibility of the patient to inform the doctor/hospital that they want a terp. If possible, the deaf patient should make that need known at the time of making the appointment, or soon as possible upon arriving at the hospital. The service is not automatically provided, so sometimes the deaf patient or family member has to be assertive (bothering) with the hospital staff to get the terp.

I do know some deaf friends who don't want to "bother" with getting a terp, so they prefer to "get by" with note-writing and speech reading.
 
went to er. my son had asthma attacks few times... dr did not believe us,, they refused to get interpreters because of their budgets (they tells us, we do not have the money to pay for one).... eventually we moved into another county, they do provide interpreters no matter or what...

the hospital we went was a private hospital... i hear there is a lot I mean a lot problems with it....espically with deaf people with kiddies....I ain't gonna go back there ever. my deaf friend goes there with her son, still have problems. I warned her but she still goes.. okay...not my problem.
 
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