A South King County resident has successfully brought a complaint against Tri-Med Ambulance LLC, a medical transport company in Washington, for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on September 7, 2020.
According to the complaint, an ambulance crew had no auxiliary aids to allow communication with the patient who is deaf or hard of hearing, and failed to notify the hospital that the patient needed communication services. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington and Tri-Med Ambulance LLC have reached a settlement agreement aimed at improving services for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing.
“When emergency medical services are involved, it is critical that a patient can communicate with caregivers,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “I am pleased Tri-Med will have new procedures and resources in place to ensure patients who are deaf or hard of hearing will have effective ways to communicate.”
Under the terms of the settlement, Tri-Med will ensure it has appropriate auxiliary aids and services on hand for use with patients who are deaf or hard of hearing. Each patient can be shown a pictograph which allows them to indicate the preferred method of communication: for example, sign language, lip reading or written communication. Tri-Med will obtain relevant hardware and enter into contracts for video remote interpreting for each ambulance licensed for emergency response. Tri-Med also agrees to notify the destination hospital if a patient needs communication assistive devices or services, so as not to delay important care.
The additional communication services must be provided without any additional charge to the patient. Tri-Med will keep a log of the use of auxiliary services and how effective communication was ensured. Tri-Med will provide training to its ambulance personnel regarding the use of the communication services. The training will be reviewed and approved by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. For the next three years the U.S. Attorney’s Office will review any complaints related to use of auxiliary aids for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Tri-Med will provide the U.S. Attorney’s Office with a written report each year regarding the use of auxiliary aids or services. Tri-Med cooperated fully in the investigation. This settlement is not an admission of liability nor a concession that the complaint is not well founded.
Assistant United States Attorneys James Waldrop and Susan Kas resolved the matter. For more information on the Civil Rights program in the Western District of Washington and on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/civil-rights.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant/Respondent: Tri-Med Ambulance LLC
Criminal Charges: ADA Violations
City and State: Seattle, Washington
Exact Date: September 7, 2020
Sentence or Outcome: Settlement Agreement
Dollar Amounts: Not applicable
Category: Public Corruption
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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