Following lawsuit, Providence commits to improved care for Deaf patients [View all]

EVERETT — Providence will improve care for Deaf patients in Snohomish County under a settlement agreement announced Friday.

In 2022, three Deaf patients sued Providence after struggling to communicate with staff at multiple care locations. The patients claimed the state’s largest health care provider failed to properly train staff, provide interpreters or implement policies in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Providence reached an agreement in U.S. District Court in Seattle last month with the Good Law Clinic and Disability Rights Advocates, the nonprofit law firm representing the patients. Under the terms of the agreement, Providence will hire a Deaf access consultant, improve in-person interpretation services, review virtual interpretation services and update staff training.

(Deaf with a capital D signifies a specific group of people who share a culture and language, American Sign Language, whereas the lowercase word indicates a person with hearing loss, according to the National Association of the Deaf.)

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/following-lawsuit-providence-commits-to-improved-care-for-deaf-patients/