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The Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) recently entered into a landmark agreement with Partners HealthCare and its two flagship hospitals, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), to begin a comprehensive effort to improve access and care for people with disabilities. The initiative includes an ongoing assessment by BCIL, MGH and BWH of the degree to which the hospitals are addressing the needs
of people with disabilities, and what steps need to be taken to further improve care.
In April 2008, BCIL and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) gathered a group of disability activists together for a meeting with the heads of BWH and MGH to make them aware that patients with disabilities felt they were not consistently getting the care and services they needed. Our disability activists cited a number of concerns including: not being weighed because they use a wheelchair; being examined in a wheelchair instead of on an adjustable exam table; the inability to get a proper mammogram; and a lack of sensitivity to their disability by some caregivers.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital President Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, MBA grew “very upset,’’ as he listened to the stories that day, “we are all to be judged by what we do for those who need us the most,’’ he said. And, in these cases he acknowledged, his hospital had failed. “Frankly, I accept every major failing of this hospital as my own.’’
MGH President Peter L. Slavin, MD, commended members of the disability community for their “courage, tenacity and willingness” to work with the hospitals to address this challenging problem. “This collaboration is about developing a deeper understanding of the needs of people with disabilities and reaffirming our commitment to provide the best care to all of our patients,” said Dr. Slavin.
BWH has committed to spend $12 million on equipment and other capital improvements over the next six years while MGH says that it is not sure how much the initiative will cost, but that the figure would be in the millions. “It’s an agreement entered into voluntarily by all of us as a way of indicating our commitment to each other and to the populations that we’re serving,’’ Matt Fishman, Vice President for Community Health at Partners.
The comprehensive plan that will be developed will result in major improvements
in access and health care for people with disabilities as it is implemented over the
next six years. In announcing the collaboration, Gary Gottlieb said “This initiative is intended to go well beyond providing ramps and eliminating architectural barriers. It is designed to build a stronger partnership between health care providers and patients with disabilities, and help to fundamentally change the culture of access and care for people with disabilities.” GBLS‘s Dan Manning called the initiative a “model for hospitals in Massachusetts and nationwide.”
The agreement includes:
The Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Health and Human Services is keeping a close eye on the agreement. “It’s hugely significant because these are major hospitals in a major hospital system,’’ said Jean McGuire, Assistant Secretary for Disability Policy and Programs for EOHHS. “This is a strategy that is good for everybody because any of us can become disabled, and making sure we can find accessible and responsive healthcare is something we want to see everywhere.’’
Links:
Agreement with MGH: Memorandum of Understanding
Agreement with BWH: Memorandum of Understanding
Boston Globe article: Flagship Hospitals To Upgrade Accessibility
