THIS IS KOIN 6 NEWS.
WATCHING OUT FOR YOU.
IT'S NOT RIGHT TO FAKE YOUR
SERVICE DOG, FIRST OF ALL, BUT
IT'S NOT RIGHT TO DISCRIMINATE
AGAINST A REAL SERVICE DOG,
EITHER.
DAN: THIS MOM WAS BARRED FROM
SEEING HER DAUGHTER IN HER
HOSPITAL ROOM.
THERE'S SO MUCH CONFUSION ABOUT
WHERE SERVICE DOGS ARE ALLOWED
AND WHAT QUALIFIES AS A SERVICE
ANIMAL.
SO WE'RE GETTING ANSWERS AFTER
THE MOM WAS CAUGHT IN THAT
CONFUSION WHEN HER REAL SERVICE
DOG WAS DENIED AT A LOCAL
HOSPITAL.
THE MOM IN ME IS REALLY MAD.
DAN: SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, JUSTINA
HIGGINS WENT TO LEGACY'S RANDALL
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL TO BE WITH
HER 15-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER.
THE SECURITY GUARD LOOKS AT
ME AND LOOKS AT THE DOG AND
SAYS, YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR PET IN
HERE.
I SAID SHE'S NOT A PET, SHE'S A
SERVICE DOG.
DAN: GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS SHOW
JUSTINA IS CRITICALLY ALLERGIC
TO LATEX AND SHE'S CONSIDERED
DISABLED BY THE SOCIAL SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION.
IN 2004 I HAD AN ANAPHYLACTIC
REACTION AT WORK TO BALLOONS, I
WAS A NURSE ON THE OB FLOOR AT
ST. VINCENTS, AND I ENDED UP IN
THE ICU FOR FOUR DAYS.
AND THEN IT'S JUST GOTTEN WORSE.
DAN: THE ALLERGY ENDED HER
NURSING CAREER AND NOW SHE TAKES
HER SERVICE DOG EVERYWHERE TO
ALERT HER TO LATEX.
AT THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL SHE
EXPLAINED HER WAY PAST THE
SECURITY GUARD, BUT RAN INTO
MORE RESISTANCE ON HER
DAUGHTER'S FLOOR.
HE SAID WE CAN'T HAVE THE DOG
ON THE UNIT, AND IF YOU WANT TO
SEE YOUR CHILD, YOU'LL COMPLY
WITH OUR RULES.
I'M LIKE, WELL, WHAT ARE YOUR
RULES?
BECAUSE THE POLICY YOU'RE
TELLING ME DOESN'T AGREE WITH
THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
ACT.
DAN: OVER 10 DAYS AND TWO LEGACY
HOSPITALS, JUSTINA SAYS SHE WAS
ALLOWED TO MEET HER DAUGHTER IN
A CONFERENCE ROOM FOR A LIMITED
AMOUNT OF TIME, WHICH SEEMS TO
VIOLATE THE HOSPITAL'S OWN
POLICY AND FEDERAL LAW.
THE HOSPITAL'S POLICY SAYS
SERVICE DOGS ARE NEVER PERMITTED
IN OPERATING ROOMS, RECOVERY
ROOMS, AND PROCEDURE ROOMS, BUT
THE POLICY DOESN'T SAY SERVICE
DOGS ARE FORBIDDEN FROM PATIENT
ROOMS.
THE GOVERNMENT'S WEB SITE SAYS
IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE TO
EXCLUDE A SERVICE ANIMAL FROM
PATIENT ROOMS.
SO WE WENT TO LEGACY TO ASK WHY
JUSTINA WAS TREATED THE WAY SHE
WAS, AND AN UNEXPECTED THING
HAPPENED.
THIS WAS A CASE OF AN
INDIVIDUAL COMING TO ONE OF OUR
FACILITIES WITH A SERVICE ANIMAL
AND RAN INTO A NUMBER OF OUR
EMPLOYEES WHO WEREN'T AWARE OF
THE SPECIFICS OF OUR POLICY AND
DIDN'T FOLLOW OUR POLICY.
DAN: SO YOU'RE ADMITTING YOU
FOLKS DIDN'T HANDLE THIS RIGHT?
ESSENTIALLY, OUR POLICY IS
VERY CLEAR ABOUT SERVICE
ANIMALS.
DAN: LEGACY IS RETRAINING ITS
STAFF, BUT THE SERVICE DOG ISSUE
IS ONE CAUSING CONFUSION IN SO
MANY PLACES.
THERE'S A LOT OF
MISUNDERSTANDING AND A FEELING
AMONG SOME THAT THERE'S A LOT OF
CHEATERS OUT THERE.
DAN: BOB JOONDEPH WITH
DISABILITY RIGHTS OREGON SAYS IT
WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE TO CREATE
AN OFFICIAL LICENSING AGENCY FOR
SERVICE DOGS AND WONDERS WHO
WOULD ENFORCE THE RULES.
SO CURRENTLY IF SOMEONE LIES
THAT THEIR COMFORT OR THERAPY
DOG OR FAMILY PET IS A SPECIALLY
TRAINED SERVICE DOG, THERE'S NOT
MUCH A STORE OR HOSPITAL CAN DO.
A SERVICE ANIMAL ISN'T
ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING YOU
CANNOT DO.
SO IF YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO PEE
ON THE FLOOR, A SERVICE ANIMAL
ISN'T ALLOWED TO PEE ON THE
FLOOR.
IF YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LICK
THE FRUIT, A SERVICE ANIMAL IS
NOT ALLOWED TO LICK THE FRUIT.
THAT SERVICE ANIMAL HAS TO BE
UNDER STRICT CONTROL.
DAN: ARE YOU FRUSTRATED BY
PEOPLE WHO BEND THE RULES?
I'M VERY FRUSTRATED.
BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT JUST BENDING
THE RULES, THEY'RE BREAKING THE
LAW.
DAN: JUSTINA TELLS ME THE OREGON
ATTORNEY GENERAL IS FILING A
DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT AGAINST
LEGACY ON HER BEHALF.
JENNIFER: IN THIS IS
INTERESTING, I THOUGHT DOGS WERE
THE ONLY ANIMALS UNDER THE
DISABILITIES ACT, BUT THERE ARE
MORE.
DAN: NOT THAT LONG AGO
MINIATURE
HORSES WERE ADDED.
SOMEONE MIGHT PREFER A MINIATURE
HORSE BECAUSE THEY LIVE LONGER
THAN DOGS, AND THEY'RE A LOT
MORE STURDY.
JENNIFER: HOW LONG CAN THEY
LIVE?