Disabled man says Kaiser in violation
April 13, 2006, from the Oroville Mercury Register:
Multiple sclerosis patient who uses wheelchair had sued over access at Oakland hospital
A man with multiple sclerosis says Kaiser Permanente is violating a court order requiring it to provide adequate access to disabled patients at its Oakland hospital.
John Mannick, who uses a wheelchair, sued Kaiser after being admitted to its Oakland hospital in January 2003.
He said he was placed in danger, humiliated and embarrassed because Kaiser did not have proper showers or accommodations for the disabled, as mandated by the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
In September, Kaiser entered into a consent decree and court order, requiring it to improve access for the disabled, including parking and three equipped patient rooms, toilets and showers.
The first of the disabled rooms was ordered to be completed by the end of 2005, but the room is not ready.
“What Kaiser is saying, not only to John but to all disabled patients, is that ‘We don’t have any responsibility to change,'” Mannick’s lawyer, Gary Gwilliam, said in a statement.