university advancement 2004 highlights - Western University of ...

STATE OF THE UNIVERSITYCENTER FOR DISABILITY ISSUES AND THE HEALTH PROFESSIONSWesternU’s Center for Disability Issues and theHealth Professions (CDIHP), led by Director BrendaPremo, had a year to remember.The center developed six statewide policies andsample procedures to facilitate compliance with theAmericans with Disabilities Act. The policiesincluded weight measurement (use ofaccessible scales), exam room access(high/low table and room size) and signlanguage interpreter services.CDIHP staff also provided technical assistance tomore than 100 Kaiser Permanente management staffin designing work-plan, implementation, and ADAresources. With an average of 18 facilities in eachservice area, these policies and procedures will affectapproximately 540 separate Kaiser medical facilitieswithin California.A training video was completed in September tohighlight Kaiser’s Health Access Project. The videospotlights access improvements in the areas of architecturalbarriers, communication, accessible medicalequipment and emergency preparedness/access.The center was retained by The CaliforniaEndowment to coordinate the aged, blind and disabledworkgroup for the Medi-Cal reform process and toprovide disability-related accommodations. This processwill determine what should be included in a federalwaiver process, scheduled to take place this year.b.a.The center obtained five major grants andcontracts, including The California Endowment.This group awarded $50,000 to the CDIHP toconduct focus groups that will help identifybarriers that limit access to durable medicalc.equipment for people with disabilities.And in May 2004, thanks to a mentoring relationship withPremo and lots of hard work, COMP graduated Dr. Jeffrey Lawler,the university’s first blind student. Dr. Lawler will be doing hispsychiatry residency at Loma Linda University Medical Centerstarting in June.abcJeffrey Lawler, DO ’04, joined by his dog Burke, makes the roundsat the Veterans Hospital in West Los Angeles.June Isaacson Kailes, center and Brenda Premo, right, with ShariSamuels, Kaiser’s California ADA Compliance Manager.CDIHP’s Christine MacDonald and a firefighter demonstrate anemergency evacuation chair.WesternU VIEW 9