FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1995                            (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

                                 
HOSPITAL ADDITION AND RENOVATION TO BECOME ADA ACCESSIBLE UNDER
                  JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AGREEMENT
                                
     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A San Angelo, Texas hospital undergoing
renovation will follow guidelines that will make the facility
accessible to persons with disabilities, under an agreement
reached today with the Justice Department.  
     The settlement with the Angelo Community Hospital is the
first Justice Department agreement reached with a hospital under
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
     Today's resolution stems from a Justice Department program
under which it reviews selected plans for newly constructed and
altered facilities to ensure they are in compliance with the ADA. 
As part of the review, the Justice Department examined hospital
plans to build a two-story addition housing maternity and
intensive care facilities and renovate an adjacent area which
includes operating facilities.  The review found that the
proposed design did not comply with the accessibility standards
under the ADA.  
     "Access to health care services is critical," said Assistant
Attorney General for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick. "This
agreement demonstrates the Justice Department's commitment to
ensuring that all persons with disabilities have equal access to
health care facilities."
     Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination against
persons with disabilities by public accommodations such as
hospitals.  The law provides that failure to design and construct
facilities that are readily accessible to and usable by persons
with disabilities constitutes discrimination.  It requires that
all new construction and alterations commenced after the law went
into effect comply with specific guidelines known as the ADA
Standards for Accessible Design.
     Under the agreement, the hospital will revise its
construction plans to conform with the ADA Standards, and will:
      build doorways wide enough to accommodate wheelchair;

      provide sufficient accessible parking;
      ensure bathrooms are accessible; and
      install visual alarms and accessible drinking fountains.

     The government will also obtain $10,000 in civil penalties
as a result of the hospital's failure to adhere to the ADA
guidelines.
       "The ADA's requirements for alterations and new
construction are crystal clear," added Patrick.  "This agreement
should remind the design and construction community that
complying with the ADA's accessibility standards is not just the
right thing to do -- it's the law."
     Most of the proposed construction at Angelo Community
Hospital -- as revised to comply with the ADA -- is now complete.
     Last year Attorney General Janet Reno launched a national
campaign to educate Americans about their rights and obligations
under the ADA.  The campaign, which includes television and radio
public service announcements, promotes a toll-free ADA
information line.  The number is 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383
(TDD).
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