By Alex Robinson
Relatives of a deaf Flushing man who died of cancer in April 2013 are suing three Long Island medical facilities for not providing him with sign language interpreters.
The communication between Alfred Weinrib, 82, and medical staff was so bad he was completely unaware he even had cancer during his seven-month stay at Winthrop University Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center and the Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, the lawsuit claimed.
Lance and Melinda Weinrib, his son and daughter who filed the lawsuit and are also deaf, alleged they also did not know their father’s diagnosis before he died, as the hospital had not communicated it to them.
“We cannot comment on any pending lawsuits,” said Ed Keating, spokesman for Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola.
Theresa Jacobellis, spokeswoman for the Good Samaritan Hospital, in West Islip, L.I., said the medical center does not comment on ongoing litigation.
“Hospital policy is to offer sign language interpretation to communicate with all hearing-impaired patients. Interpretation may be provided via video service or live interpreters depending upon the patient’s preference,” she said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for the Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, in Commack, L.I., said the facility had not been served yet.
“However, like all health care providers, due to HIPAA regulations we are never able to comment on any information regarding current or former residents at our center,” she said.
Weinrib’s medical treatment first started in September 2012 when he experienced a seizure, the lawsuit said. He then spent time in each facility depending on his medical needs at the time.
He quickly fell into depression and “endured a significant amount of pain, suffering, and emotional distress directly due to the denial of effective communication,” according to the suit filed in the Eastern District in Long Island.
In one instance, Weinrib was unable to communicate to a nurse that he needed to use the bathroom and wrapped a call bell cord around his neck to get the staff’s attention, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit also claimed Weinrib and his relatives made many requests for a qualified sign language interpreter, but one was rarely provided.
“Diagnosis and treatment options were not explained in a meaningful way to Alfred Weinrib or his family,” the lawsuit said. “Procedures were performed without the aid of a qualified sign language interpreter and without fully and clearly explaining to Alfred Weinrib the risks and benefits of those procedures being performed.”
The suit alleged Weinrib’s human rights were violated when he was routinely denied an interpreter and seeks a court order requiring the three Long Island facilities to provide them.
Eric Baum, an attorney representing the Weinribs, said the suit does not seek a specific amount of monetary damages.
“The jury will determine what is reasonable under the circumstances,” Baum said.
The Weinribs said they will forever be traumatized by the experience of watching their father suffer due to a lack of effective communication while trying to deal with the Long Island medical facilities.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
