DOJ Mandates Accessible Exam Tables for Patients with Disabilities

When rape exams are given, are accessible examination tables provided?

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Click here for Settlement Agreement

The United States Department of Justice entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Brookline, Mass., to ensure access to medical facilities and services for individuals with disabilities.

BIDMC, a teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard University, encompasses more than 30 buildings and three community health clinics, and operates as a quaternary acute care facility and level one trauma center providing sub-specialty services. The agreement requires, among other things, that BIDMC ensure that accessible patient rooms and accessible medical equipment – such as examination tables – are available for each of its clinical services.

Among other things, the Agreement with BIDMC, which is the result of a compliance review conducted by the Department, requires BIDMC to:

•Ensure that each department and clinical practice provides at least one accessible examination table that lowers to 17 to 19" from the floor, thus enabling those with mobility disabilities to transfer to the exam table...



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