BWH Disabilities Awareness Council Makes Great Strides
The multidisciplinary BWH Disabilities Awareness Council has led efforts to create a more accessible and welcoming environment for individuals with disabilities throughout the hospital during the last year.
The council’s work was prompted both by feedback from patients and the Boston Center for Independent Living, a Boston-based advocacy group for people with disabilities to which many BWH patients belong. In the past year, BWH added five more accessible bathrooms in the Tower and purchase of 55 power exam tables for ambulatory practices.
“The council is focusing on improving physical access, providing the right equipment so providers can care for patients more easily, enhancing our policies and procedures and providing staff training,” said Janet Razulis, administrative director of Patient Care Services, who co-chairs the council with Janet Barnes, executive director of Compliance and Risk Management. “When we provide the right equipment it is easier for our patients and our providers.”
Recently, the Neurology Clinic piloted initiatives to improve accessibility, led by neurologist Farzaneh Sorond, MD, a member of the Disabilities Awareness Council. These changes included moving the exam rooms for stroke patients from the back of the clinic to the front to shorten walking distance for patients. The practice obtained two power exam tables, a higher neuromuscular chair for the waiting room and a scale that weighs patients in their wheelchairs, which are helpful for pregnant women with neurological issues, bariatric patients, stroke patients and other patients who use wheelchairs.
Staff also started using the lower, side check-in area at the front desk for patients who use wheelchairs and had found it difficult to speak with the receptionist behind the high counter. Patients are noticing these and other improvements and are reporting an overall good experience via a four-question survey.
“A big part of this is about increasing awareness and empowering every member of the clinic to change what does not work and provide better care,” said Sorond. “We all walk down the hall with a different attitude now.”
Plans for 2010 include purchasing more power tables. Plans also entail purchasing portable lifts for the off-site practices, adding more wheelchair accessible scales, making hearing enhancement devices available to all clinical areas and working with IS to create an electronic flag to identify patients with special resource needs.
In addition, the council is providing hospital-wide training around disability sensitivity, which all staff—including physicians—who work directly with patients in any capacity, must attend. Training will be offered in multiple formats and will begin this summer. Anyone who is interested in joining the council or has questions or ideas should e-mail jrazulis@partners.org