(Sept. 10, 2020) Florida hospitals are beginning to decrease their restrictions on visitor policies. For several local hospitals, this finally includes allowances for SUPPORT PERSONS! The updated policy at Tampa General Hospital explicitly states that a support person may accompany adult patients. That policy can be seen here: https://www.tgh.org/covid#updatesThe updated policy for Bay Care hospitals is *intended* to make allowances for support persons, per hospital administration, however, their policy is vague and states that exceptions will be evaluated on a “case-by-case” basis. If you have to go to Bay Care hospitals, please bring the Disability Rights Florida self-advocating guide with you as back up. If you encounter resistance to letting a support person into the hospital, ask them to contact the AOD (Administrator on Duty) or Security to confirm your right to a support person under ADA laws (and also let Debbie know!) Bay Care’s updated policy is here: https://baycare.org/…/baycare-resumes-limited… The link to the Disability Rights Florida document is here: https://drive.google.com/…/1wI…/view… I continue to be in close contact with Disability Rights Florida who is addressing the issue directly with Bay Care on our behalf. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Debbie at 727.249.1953
Debbie Yones, M.S., CCC-SLP
Program Director
Debbie is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and has over 10 years of experience working exclusively with patients with Neurogenic Disorders such as aphasia, ALS, and forms of dementia. She received her master’s degree from the University of South Florida and her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College. Debbie is an affiliate of AphasiaAccess and the National Aphasia Association and is a member of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Sciences & Disorders. She is frequently invited as a guest lecturer to the graduate program at USF-Tampa, USF-St Petersburg, and others to talk about delivering patient-centered care to people with aphasia. In 2020, Mayor Rick Kriseman appointed Debbie to the St. Petersburg Committee to Advocate for Persons with Impairments (CAPI). Prior to earning her master’s degree, Debbie worked for over 15 years as a consultant providing business process and technology services to Fortune 500 Companies. You can contact Debbie via email or by calling 727.249.1953