When you鈥檙e in the hospital, communication is important to getting the best care. But that鈥檚 been challenging for many people in 黑料新闻 who are deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing.
As Bria Lloyd from our Accountability Project reports, lawmakers are looking for better ways to serve this community.
______________________________
In November, Kim Silva went to Hartford Hospital for surgery. Kim is deaf and uses American Sign Language to communicate.
Kim Silva 鈥淚 can speak, but I've signed longer than I've spoken.鈥�
She asked the hospital to provide an interpreter. But there wasn鈥檛 one available. She went through the procedure anyway. Silva says it was a scary experience.
Kim Silva 鈥淚 thought I was gonna die. I woke up in the recovery room, I was shocked I was alive.鈥�
The hospital provided her with video remote interpreting instead. VRI is a tablet with a live interpreter on the screen.
Many hospitals rely on video calls to accommodate patients. But these services don鈥檛 work well for everyone.
Silva was restrained face down on the operating table when she had surgery. She says she couldn鈥檛 see the video screen before she went under anesthesia.
Kim Silva 鈥淭he interpreter would have made sure that I didn't have the restraint until I was out.鈥�
Silva鈥檚 husband, John, was treated at Hartford Hospital one year earlier for a stroke. He鈥檚 also deaf. He says his wife didn鈥檛 know what was happening when they took him in for testing.
John Silva 鈥淢y wife told me they took me in right away for a [CT] scan and she didn鈥檛 even know what happened because there was no interpreter.鈥�
In an email, Hartford Hospital said it can鈥檛 talk about specific incidents. But the hospital prioritizes meeting the needs of all patients.
Providing effective communication is required under federal law. But there's currently no state office in 黑料新闻 to oversee those services.
Luisa Gasco-Soboleski is the president of the 黑料新闻 Association of the Deaf. She says difficulty communicating in the hospital is a systemic problem. Here she is speaking through an interpreter.
Luisa Gasco-Soboleski 鈥淚 know there's been a lot of turnover of staff members at the various hospitals throughout the state. Information is not passed along, training is not maintained.鈥�
Some new efforts are underway in 黑料新闻 to improve the situation.
Lawmakers are considering a bill to create a bureau for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing services. Here鈥檚 House Speaker Matt Ritter.
Matt Ritter 鈥淭here has been widespread frustration from individuals who have reached out to their reps. And I think it got louder over the last year.鈥�
The bureau would field calls, provide referrals and coordinate trainings on how to serve this community.
The 黑料新闻 Hospital Association and the American School for the Deaf are also working on an interpreter pilot program.
Jim Iacobellis is senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs for the hospital association.
Jim Iacobellis 鈥淭here shouldn't be a patient who leaves the hospitals who says I had a hard time communicating. We need to do better.鈥�
Using federal funds, they鈥檒l offer free interpreters to patients at participating hospitals between March and June.
The program will launch with three interpreters, says American School for the Deaf Executive Director Jeff Bravin. Here he is speaking through an interpreter.
Jeff Bravin 鈥淓verybody's saying, yes, we need interpreters, but nobody can clearly pinpoint just how many interpreters are needed.鈥�
Bravin says one challenge is a shortage of interpreters in the state. But they鈥檙e working to develop a pipeline and expand the pool.
Which would benefit people like Silva and her husband.
Kim Silva 鈥淭hat was not right for us to be excluded like that.鈥�
She and others are hopeful that will change soon.
Bria Lloyd, 黑料新闻 Radio