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<h1 class="gmail-hbi-h1">Family Reaches Settlement With Fairview Range Over Lack of Sign Language Interpreter
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<p><em>December 21, 2017 10:36 PM</em></p> <p>A northern Minnesota
family has reached a settlement with Fairview Range Medical Center over
claims it failed to provide a sign language interpreter to relay
critical medical information to a deaf family member.</p>
<p>Matthew Svatos, who is deaf, originally filed the discrimination
complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in 2013,
following the birth of his daughter. </p>
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<p>The hospital provided an interpreter during the child’s birth. But
that person left after the baby was born, according to the family’s
account.</p>
<p>Doctors came into the room hours later with unsettling news about the baby’s health. </p>
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<img src="http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/2017-12/800familyfairview.jpg" alt="The Svatos family">
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<div class="gmail-caption">The Svatos family</div>
<div class="gmail-slide-credit">Courtesy of the family</div>
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<p>“I did not understand everything,” said Matthew through an
interpreter. “It was really not fair that I could not understand or know
about my daughter's health problems. And it is because they did not
explain it to me, not anything. Nothing at all.”</p>
<p>Since an interpreter was not available, they asked Matthew’s wife Julie to fill him in using sign language. </p>
<p>“My partner did not know what was going on and my hands were full,”
Julie said. “You know, literally, my hands were tied at the moment.”</p>
<p>According to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the hospital broke not only the law, but its own policy.</p>
<p>The policy reads “family members, friends, or other untrained
individuals should not be used as interpreters” for accuracy reasons.</p>
<p>The family eventually sued the hospital. Four years after the original complaint, a confidential settlement was reached.</p>
<p>“Reaching the settlement is a step in the right direction for us,"
Julie said. "Holding these facilities, and specifically Fairview in this
case – holding them accountable to the standards that have been set by
law."</p>
<p>Matthew and Julie’s baby girl was born deaf, which was a surprise since there were no signs it was genetic.</p>
<p>Otherwise, though, she is a healthy.</p>
<p>As part of the settlement, the hospital agreed to provide additional
training to staff when it comes to what to do if an interpreter is not
readily available.</p>
<p>They also agreed to set up a system to process complaints.</p>
Fairview Range Medical Center has not returned a calls requesting comment on the matter.</div><div class="gmail_signature"><br></div><div class="gmail_signature"><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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