Senate Bill S1927

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S1927

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to authorizing the
health department to develop regulations pertaining to hospital
patients and responsible persons with a hearing impairment


 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

To authorize the Department of Health to develop regulations
pertaining to deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing hospital patients,
or patients of minor age whose parents or guardians are deaf,
deaf-blind or hard of hearing.

 JUSTIFICATION :

Most deaf people tend to be cut off from auditory and written modes of
information exchange. As a result of the intercultural attitude
barriers that keep deaf people isolated within the deaf communities,
and the barriers imposed by communication problems, it is difficult to
estimate the degree and range of communication difficulties or even
the strategies deaf people may have evolved in order to access and use
medical services. Despite federal statutes mandating accessible health
and mental health care for disabled persons (e.g.  Americans with
              

Disabilities Act P.L.101-136), this service need of deaf Americans
remains profoundly underserved. This is also very true for deaf-blind
and hard of hearing people, especially in medical settings.

Deaf people encounter barriers to the use of routinely provided health
and medical services that do not exist for hearing people. It is
especially important for health professionals (nurses, doctors,
admission office personnel, social workers, and pharmacists) to
realize that deaf people communicate in different ways, depending on
several factors including: language skills; amount of residual
hearing; speechreading skills and speech abilities. Deaf-blind
patients need interpreter services appropriate to them. Hard of
hearing patients need assistive listening devices.

The health and mental health needs of the deaf population are
comparable to their hearing counterparts. However, barriers of
communication, insensitivity to deaf culture, general lack of
information about the deaf population and limited training related to
the unique needs of deaf people have resulted in a scarcity of
effective health services for deaf people. Trust and communication are
perhaps the two greatest factors in improving health services for the
deaf population. There is a strong "grapevine" effect in the deaf
community. Hearing health professionals ,:",n build an atmosphere of
trust through clear communication and sensitivity with deaf,
deaf-blind or hard of hearing individuals.

It is likely that lack of trust and difficulty in communication
inhibits many people from receiving adequate health care. Health
services must be completely accessible--socially, psychologically, and
communicatively-to deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing people, in
order for them to be comfortable enough to use them. Without special
services tailored to the unique communication needs of deaf,
deaf-blind and hard of hearing people, their medical and other health
needs will continue to be largely unmet and health communication
problems will go on being undiscovered and unremediated.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE .up off; :
This act shall take effect January first next succeeding the date it
becomes law; provided that any regulations necessary for the
implementation of this act on its effective date shall be promulgated
on or before that date.