KGH receives top accessibility award

Kingston General Hospital is widely regarded as a role model for hospitals looking to implement patient- and family-centred care initiatives. Now we are also getting that nod for our work in the area of accessibility.

Earlier this month we were selected for recognition under the 2014 Excellence Canada – Ontario Accessibility Awards Program, of which Ontario Lieutenant Governor David Onley is the honorary patron.

The award congratulates KGH for our role-model behaviour in reinforcing the principles of independence, dignity, integration, and equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.

“I’m very proud to see the efforts of our Accessibility Advisory Committee are being recognized along with the work of everyone at KGH who is helping our hospital remove barriers,” says Jill Holland-Reilly, Director of Volunteer Services and Corporate Accessibility.

Barriers to accessibility at organizations such as ours are generally recognized to be:

• Architectural
• Physical
• Communication
• Attitudinal
• Technological
• Organizational

To help overcome them, KGH has created a multi-year Accessibility Plan that runs to 2017 called Aim for Access. The plan identifies specific barriers and recommends actions to help improve access to our services for all patients, staff, physicians, learners, volunteers and visitors. A big part of this work will be making sure we are meeting the accessibility requirements that are now being phased in over the next decade or so by the province. Its goal is an Ontario that is accessible to all people with disabilities by 2025.

“Meeting these legislated requirements will take planning and commitment. So far, we have been successful and have managed to stay in front of the curve by doing some forward thinking,” says Holland-Reilly.

A good example of this is our installation back in 2011 of our E-Z rest chairs along our busy corridors. The fold-down chairs are a handy place for the elderly and people with mobility issues to stop and take a breather when walking our many long halls. KGH is the only hospital in Canada that has installed them so far.

Other highlights on the accessibility front include creating accessible washrooms in the main and Burr wing lobbies, the switch to the use of low lustre flooring wax, the installation of door operators into the chemotherapy unit, the rollout of workshops to reduced stigma and help accommodate people with mental health issues and the coming launch of our new internal wayfinding system, featuring symbols, colours and easy to read names.

“There are a lot of exciting things happening at KGH all aimed at helping people with disabilities have a better experience at our hospital,” says Holland-Reilly. “And with an aging population, these kinds of changes are coming along at the right time.”