Patients with Disabilities
St. Mary’s Health Care system is committed to providing the highest quality of care to all patients. We strive to ensure all patients with disabilities have reasonable and equal access to our facilities. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, services and auxiliary aids are available upon request.
Parking
Designated parking spaces for disabled persons are available in all public parking lots. For more information on parking, click here.
Wheelchairs
Wheelchairs are available in the lobby and the emergency department. Our staff and volunteers are available to assist visitors using wheelchairs.
Dining Facilities
Wheelchair accessible dining facilities are available in the cafeteria. Assistance is available upon request.
Automatic Doors
Automatic doors are located at the main entrances and the entrance to the emergency department.
Guide, Hearing, and Service Dogs
Disabled individuals using appropriately certified canines as auxiliary aides will have access to St. Mary’s facilities.
Restrooms
Restrooms designated for use by disabled individuals are located in the Emergency Department, surgical waiting area, main lobby area, patient floors 3 through 7, radiology, and outpatient surgery.
Public Phones
Wheelchair accessible telephones are available at the main information desk, the 2nd floor information desk, the lab, outside the Flower Suites meeting rooms, outside the main entrance to the OR, and in the elevator ‘B’ corridors on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors.
Hearing Impaired Services
The services listed below are available to our hearing impaired patients, free of charge. Please let your nurse know if you need any of these services during your hospital stay.
Video Remote Interpreting for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Patients: St. Mary’s has a service available 24/7 for online certified sign language interpreters to assist in communication with deaf/ hard of hearing patients and their families who use sign language. This program is very easy to use. St. Mary’s has a dedicated laptop specific for this purpose that will allow three-way communication between the patient, interpreter and care provider. When sign language services are needed, please contact the nursing staff.
Personal Amplifiers: A generic amplification device used by individuals with a mild to severe hearing impairment.
TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf): A telephone system allowing deaf individuals to communicate via telephone by typing.
Closed-Caption Television Decoder: A decoder displays captions of the television soundtrack on the viewer’s television screen.
If any additional services are required to help you with effective communication during your stay, please discuss them with your nurse, request a consultation with your case manager, or call 706.389.3000. Your health is our mission!
Additional Information About Language Services: To request any kind of language interpretation services, please call 706.389.3273
To learn more about Patient’s Rights and Responsibilities click here.