FARMINGTON — The University of Connecticut Health Center has agreed to improve services for deaf patients after a federal investigation into a discrimination complaint.
The complaint was filed by a deaf woman who says she was denied sign-language services in the emergency room at the school’s John Dempsey Hospital, resulting in a miscommunication that led to her suffering a burst appendix.
U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly’s office says UConn Health has agreed to pay the women $20,000 to settle her complaint and has entered an agreement to revise its policies and training. The school says it also will assess the need for more aids and services for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
A hospital spokeswoman did not immediately reply to a request for comment and details of those policy changes.
