8.3.16
A recent win for non-discrimination came out of North Carolina last week, when a Raleigh man, Bruce Hatcher, reached a settlement with his local YMCA to ensure that their staff is able to administer emergency insulin shots to the children under their care.
Hatcher’s son Christian is a type 1 diabetic who was enrolled in the YMCA’s after-school program. Type 1 diabetes requires his son to take insulin shots; without them, his son could fall into a coma or even die.
However, when Christian was first enrolled the YMCA did not have staff trained to administer the shots. This prompted Hatcher to file a complaint with the Department of Justice, contending that the YMCA’s failure to provide this service constituted a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The parties involved have since reached an agreement on the matter. After Hatcher filed the complaint, the YMCA undertook efforts to get its staff trained in the necessary procedures.
Although the process might have taken longer than Hatcher had wanted, he was grateful for the YMCA’s actions and is glad their program will be more inclusive of diabetics in the future, according to a recent news story.
“It’s tough when you know you can’t give your son the treatment that they need when they have this disability that they don’t deserve,” he told CBS North Carolina.
The resolution of this case is a big win when it comes to fighting against discrimination based on a person’s particular disease. Groups such as the Chronic Disease Coalition and American Diabetes Association work continuously to protect patients’ rights in cases such as these. To read the whole story about Bruce and Christian Hatcher, please click here.
