<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "Ginger Kutsch" <<a href="mailto:GingerKutsch@yahoo.com">GingerKutsch@yahoo.com</a>><br><b>Date:</b> August 9, 2013, 7:54:54 AM PDT<br><b>To:</b> "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <<a href="mailto:nagdu@nfbnet.org">nagdu@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[nagdu] Hospital cannot ban all service animals from psych ward, federal judge rules</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <<a href="mailto:nagdu@nfbnet.org">nagdu@nfbnet.org</a>><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>Hospital cannot ban all service animals from psych ward, federal judge rules</span><br><span></span><br><span>Posted Aug 8, 2013 3:20 PM CDT</span><br><span></span><br><span>By Martha Neil</span><br><span></span><br><span>The American Bar Association Journal</span><br><span></span><br><span>Source:</span><br><span><a href="http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/hospital_cannot_ban_all_service_anima">http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/hospital_cannot_ban_all_service_anima</a></span><br><span>ls_from_psych_ward_federal_judge_rules/</span><br><span></span><br><span>A California hospital can't unilaterally ban all service animals from</span><br><span>certain areas, such as a psychiatric ward, a federal judge has ruled.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Siding with a disabled woman who said she had to choose between getting the</span><br><span>treatment she needs for her bipolar disorder and getting the help she needs</span><br><span>from her highly trained service dog, Inglis, U.S. District Judge Ronald</span><br><span>Whyte held last week that El Camino Hospital had violated the Americans with</span><br><span>Disabilities Act by failing to do an individualized assessment of Inglis</span><br><span>before banning the animal, reports Courthouse News.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>The hospital had argued that concerns about infection, the safety of its</span><br><span>other patients and disruption of ward routine justified the blanket ban.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>But that is not what the law requires, Whyte said in a written opinion in</span><br><span>the San Jose case:</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>"El Camino must conduct individualized assessments in accordance with the</span><br><span>ADA and the Code of Federal Regulations to determine whether a specific</span><br><span>service animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others based</span><br><span>on reasonable judgment that relies on current medical knowledge or on the</span><br><span>best available objective evidence, to ascertain: the nature, duration and</span><br><span>severity of the risk; the probability that the potential injury will</span><br><span>actually occur; and whether reasonable modifications of policies, practices</span><br><span>or procedures or the provision of auxiliary aids or services will mitigate</span><br><span>the risk."</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Plaintiff Abigayil Tamara, 70, said Inglis helps her with her balance, picks</span><br><span>up items she drops, pushes elevator buttons for her and helps her put on her</span><br><span>jacket, the news agency reports.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>nagdu mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:nagdu@nfbnet.org">nagdu@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/judotina48kg%40gmail.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/judotina48kg%40gmail.com</a></span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>