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In July 2010, The Department of Justice released the 'Americans with Disabilities Act - Access To Medical Care For Individuals With Mobility Disabilities,' an update to the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
This document specifically gives a guideline for healthcare providers as to how they need to accommodate their facilities to comply
with the ADA law. The document is split into two parts. The first part is defining the layout of an 'accessible exam room' highlighting entry door locations, clear floor
space, and turning zones. The second part of the document discusses 'Accessible Medical Equipment'. This is where the Barrier-Free exam table solution is highlighted
(pages 7 - 10). Essentially this document is a guide for healthcare providers to use so that they can comply with legal obligations set forth under Titles II and III of the ADA.
View the document at http://www.ada.gov/medcare_ta.htm
Why is the Justice Department focusing in on this topic?
There are many reasons that have accumulated for years now including Safe Patient Handling (SPH) and ADA compliance for people with disabilities. A few of them have developed
deeper in the past couple of years. 'According to the findings of the National Council on Disability in its 2009 study, the healthcare sector has not met its public accommodation
mandate due, in large part, to the 'absence of robust enforcement' by the DOJ Civil Rights Division, and the US Department of Human Health and Services, Office of Civil Rights,
and, to a lesser degree, to healthcare professional' lack of knowledge of their legal obligation. While, for now, robust federal enforcement has been lacking, there are at least
three reasons, in addition to the impending milestone of the ADA's passage, to believe that may change. First greater attention to the issues facing the U.S. disabled population
is anticipated as the Obama Administration has appointed a special assistant to the President to focus exclusively on disability policy, a first for any U.S. President. Second,
on July 30, 2009, the U.S. became a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which, inter alia, identifies healthcare as human right and calls
for signatory nations to provide disabled healthcare without discrimination.'
Reference this link for more details:
http://www.healthlawyers.org/News/Connections/CurrentIssue/Documents/2010%20Analyses/Analysis_Jan2010.pdf
A great link that describes in detail how important it is for a customer to have a barrier-free exam table can be found online at:
http://thebarrierfreehealthcareinitiative.org/
CLICK HERE to see Midmark's line of Barrier-Free Power Exam Tables
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