[nagdu] an incident with ambulance people tonight

Wed Mar 4 12:44:28 UTC 2009

Joy,
    Thank you very much for your offer. Where we need to start is by having 
our model service animal policies for health care facilities reviewed for 
legal & medical validity. I have a physician who has agreed to do the 
medical review. I understand that you are an attorney. If you would like to 
take on the task of reviewing it for legal accuracy, please write to me at 
my NAGDU account
president at nfb-nagdu.org
and I will send it to you.

Fraternally,
Marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Garry and Joy Relton" <relton30857 at cox.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 7:25 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] an incident with ambulance people tonight


> Marion,
>
> It sounds like we need to do some work with local ambulance services and
> emergency services. I am willing to start in Fairfax county Virginia.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Marion & Martin
> Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 1:03 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] an incident with ambulance people tonight
>
>
> Rena,
>    I'm not sure why the fact that one is bleeding would make a difference!
> In order to exclude a service animal, the entity must demonstrate that its
> presence creates a direct threat that cannot be mitigated by a 
> modification
> of policies, practices, or procedures. The Centers for Disease Control &
> Infection (CDC) clearly states that the presence of a service animal poses
> no greater risk of infection than the presence of a human. As a rule of
> thumb, the CDC offers the following guidance:
>
> "
> If health-care personnel, visitors, and patients are permitted to enter 
> care
>
> areas (e.g., inpatient rooms, some ICUs, and public areas) without taking
> additional precautions to prevent transmission of infectious agents (e.g.,
> donning gloves, gowns, or masks), a clean, healthy, well behaved service
> animal should be allowed access with its handler." (Guidelines for
> environmental infection control in health-care facilities, Centers for
> Disease Control & Infection, March 3, 2003)
>
>
>
> I hope this helps!
>
>
>
> fraternally,
>
> Marion Gwizdala
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Rena Seay" <ras98r at yahoo.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 9:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] an incident with ambulance people tonight
>
>
> It has been my experience that the dogs cannot ride in the ablance if 
> anyone
>
> is bleeding. I have traveled with my grandmother who was bleeding do to a
> clotting issue. I had a brand new guide at the time and I wound up leaving
> her in her kneel until I got my grandmother settled. However, in the one
> occurance when I was the patient, my guide was allowed, welcomed even to
> ride with me.
>
> Rena and Ronnie
>
>
> Rena A. Seay
> Educantional Talent Search
> (325)677-1444 x. 3105
> ras98r at yahoo.com
>
> --- On Mon, 3/2/09, Chasity Jackson <chasityvanda at charter.net> wrote:
>
> From: Chasity Jackson <chasityvanda at charter.net>
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] an incident with ambulance people tonight
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 4:46 PM
>
> I have been in an ambulance many times when my boyfriend Chris had 
> epileptic
> seizures, back when they weren't under control. And now when my friend had
> his heart problems on Friday. What doesn't seem right to me, however, is
> that without her, they were perfectly willing to let me ride in it. It was
> never
> an issue of, well, we don't let people ride with their friends. They were
> perfectly willing to let me ride in the ambulance if she rode separate 
> from
> me
> or if I left her at home. So in that case, they were telling me I had the
> right
> to ride in the ambulance, it became an issue of Hadley, not an issue of me
> not
> being able to ride at all, despite having a dog or not.
>
> Chasity
> Check out the tribute page I created for my guide dog Vanda at:
> www.myspace.com/vandaandchasity Listen to my radio show every Thursday 
> from
> 4-7pm on the Q Online: www.theqonline.net Visit my MySpace page and add me
> at www.myspace.com/chasityandvanda Listen to my podcast at:
> http://www.gcast.com/u/Chasityvanda/main.xml
> Or by phone at: (559) 553-4627
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney"
> <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 1:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] an incident with ambulance people tonight
>
>
>> That's a good question.  I never thought of it before, but it would be
> good
>> to know, just in case.
>>
>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Garry and Joy Relton
>> Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 8:18 AM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] an incident with ambulance people tonight
>>
>> As I understand it, you don't necessarily have the right to travel in
> the
>> ambulance with your friend. This is because of the relationship
>> between
> the
>> two of you. If you have the right or need to be in the ambulance your
>> dog also must be transported with you unless there is some problem
>> with them being able to work on you, i.e.. severe bleeding and the
>> like. The front
> of
>> the ambulance issue is ironic. I was once transported in the ambulance
> with
>> my dog, and one of the people tried to tell me that I had to leave my
>> dog
> on
>> the side of the road. I said very firmly that the dog was coming with
>> me. Others staffing the ambulance knew that it was the law and
>> suggested that the dog could easily fit in front. They told me that
>> the space was a
> little
>> limited around the stretcher and they wanted to be sure that they
>> could
> give
>> me the care I needed. Since I was pregnant at the time and wanted to
>> be
> sure
>> that the baby was ok I didn't argue with that. The idiot person even
> had the
>> guts to say to me while in transit that, if he would have had to put
>> me in
> a
>> helicopter he would have left the dog on the side of the road.
>> Ironically,
> I
>> was transported in an ambulance three-and-a-half years ago and then in
>> a helicopter. My dog was taken with my family members in the car so it
> wasn't
>> an issue. I have been told by county emergency personnel that the dog
>> may
> be
>> refused access to an area in the ambulance if I am bleeding. I haven't
> had
>> to press this issue. Any information?
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Chasity Jackson
>> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 7:24 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: [nagdu] an incident with ambulance people tonight
>>
>>
>> Hey everyone,
>>
>> I need an opinion as to what to do about this particular situation. My
>> friend and room mate was complaining about irregular heart
>> palpetations tonight, and we ended up calling an ambulance and taking
>> him to the ER. I knew it would be a while and decided to take Hadley.
>> The ambulance crew
> said
>>
>> that she had to ride in back and I had to ride up front. I told them
>> this was a dog I had recently graduated with 3 mnths ago, and that I
>> did not approve of her riding separately from me, as I could not
>> control her this way. So then they refused to transport me period.
>> They said, "Just
> stay
>> here. There's no reason for you to go." I said to them, "You
> wouldn't tell a
>>
>> sighted person they couldn't go with their friend, relative,
> etc." And they
>> said, "Well, just take a taxi up there." A police officer agreed
> to
>> transport me in his car, and it turned out he didn't know the state
> guide
>> dog laws either. He didn't know squat about guide dogs period, because
> he
>> kept petting her and making kissy noises, and talking to her over and
>> over even after I explained that she was a working dog. As far as the
>> ambulance crew, my friend told me that while they were transporting
>> him, they said they could not allow her to ride up front due to the
>> safety of the driver. I'm not sure what to do about this situation. I
>> don't have time to
> write in
>> depth because my friend is still in the hospital and I need to get
>> back up there. So any replies that I may need to respond to might be
>> delayed on my end because I may be at the hospital for a few days. I'm
>> just curious
> what
>> should be done.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Chasity
>>
>>
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