Accessibility

In order to ensure that people with disabilities have appropriate access to health care services at St. Joseph’s Health Centre (SJHC) and its entities, St. Joseph’s Villa, St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre, and Villa St. Gabriel Villa; and in order to comply with the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, St. Joseph’s Health Centre has been very active in identifying barriers, removing barriers and preventing the creation of new barriers.

We are committed to preventing, identifying and removing barriers that impede an individual’s ability to access care and services, or to work here.

St. Joseph’s Health Centre’s Accessibility Policy outlines our continuing efforts to eliminate accessibility barriers, including those that are:

Physical
Informational
Technological
Attitudinal; and
Related to policy or practice

Please click on the links below to view:

Multi-Year Accessibility Plan 2024 – 2028
Accessibility Policy

AODA Compliance Documents:

Our Accessibility Service Training
Notice of Temporary Disruptions
Accessibility Feedback
Our Assistive Devices

Our Accessibility Service Training

In its commitment to Service ensures that ongoing education to all new and current staff, volunteers, third parties, and procured service providers working for or on behalf of the facility, has been provided employee training in accordance with Ontario Regulation 429/07.

Training includes but is not limited to the following:

1. Completing the AODA Accessibility Guide training booklet and quiz;

2. Reviewing the purposes of the AODA and requirements of the customer service standard;

3. Instruction on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities;

4. Instruction on how to interact with people with disabilities who use assistive devices or require the assistance of a guide dog, other service animal or a support person;

5. Instruction on what to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty accessing our services;

6. Personal Assistive Devices that are used by people with disabilities include a broad range of products such as wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen tanks, and portable communication boards.

7. Instruction on how to use equipment or devices available on our premises or that we provide, that may help people with disabilities access our services, such as TTY telephones, elevators, lifts, accessible interactive kiosks or other technology; and

8. Training on the TTY (Telephone Teletype) devices and Bell Relay Services (if installed, utilized and accessible).

Staff, volunteers and third parties are trained about the availability of feedback processes, disruption of services and the availability of our Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.

Department Specific Training will be done by the Director and/or designate of the area that offers the equipment or devices that are available to assist people with disabilities.

Recording Training
All training sessions are recorded in our education calendar indicating the date of the in-service. The educator tallies the number of individuals attending utilizing the attendance sign-in sheet. Records are kept in the Human Resources Department for any training that is provided, including dates the training is completed and the staff names in attendance.

All those completing some form of Customer Service training need to demonstrate compliance by completing the quiz that is including with the self-learning Accessibility Guide or provided during orientation; or submitting the quiz sheet included in the on-line articulate education software.

Notice of Temporary Disruptions

Any pre-planned interruptions to entrances, access roads, elevating devices or accessible washrooms will be posted on our website to provide public notification. Signs will be placed at the interruption site indicating alternate accessible options.

Unexpected disruptions, or disruptions where it is too difficult to post a notice on the website, will be handled with signs and/or employees (Security, greeters, etc.) or volunteers who will provide alternate directions as required. The person providing the alternate directions will communicate the nature of the outage and expected duration, whenever possible. We will try to ensure that multiple accessible service disruptions do not occur at the same time.

Accessibility Feedback

In keeping with the core value of Service, we are committed to ensuring the development of an accessible environment that is an evolution of a culture that supports barrier-free access to care and services and in so doing encourages feedback on the process established.

The public can provide feedback on the accessibility of the provision of goods and services provided at any of our facilities. Our Program Assistant for Corporate Services will accept any feedback information by various methods:

Email:   accessibility@wp169139.wpdns.ca
Telephone:   705-674-2846 ext. 2222
Mail to:   St. Joseph’s Health Centre, 1140 South Bay Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 0B6
Attention:   Program Assistant, Corporate Services

Access our survey form here AODA Feedback and our feedback process Record of Feedback. Hard copy versions are available at all of our reception office areas.

An alternate format can be provided upon request by the persons with disabilities via e-mail to accessibility@wp169139.wpdns.ca or by calling 705-674-2846 ext. 2222.

Responsibilities/Accountabilities

A member of the Accessibility Advisory Committee:

• communicates to staff and the community by way of emails, website, and postings, any policy, procedure, practice changes governing the goods and services provided at our facilities.

• provides any requested alternate formatted updated information on the policies, procedures, and practices.

The Program Assistant for Corporate Services provides feedback to the client (patient/family/public), visitor, staff, that offered formal feedback through the feedback process.

Our Assistive Devices

We welcome all patients, families, staff and visitors to our facility by providing services that respect the independence and dignity of people with disabilities. Such access to services incorporates measures that include but are not limited to the use of assistive devices. Assistive devices include a broad range of products, including but not limited to wheelchairs, walkers, white canes, oxygen tanks, portable communication boards and electronic communication devices.

Portering wheelchairs are available at each reception area in all of our facilities.

To ensure effective communication with patients who are Deaf, deafened or hard-of-hearing, the facility is open to requests, on an individual basis, to provide assistance in accessing supplementary aids (the patient would be required to pay for the regular phone or television service in their room prior to adding any assistive devices). Access to such devices for communication purposes for families and visitors can be arranged when necessary to ensure clear communication of pertinent information.

Door Knocker - Door Bell Transmitter 1 – Door Knocker or Door Bell Transmitter – alerts if knock or ring at the door via flashing light

2 – Bed Shaker – placed under a pillow or mattress to shake the patient awake

3 – Telephone Amplifier – increases volume 100 times. Make calls louder, clearer and easier to understand.

4 – Call Alert – flashes to alert when the phone rings.

5 – Pocket Talker Pro – amplifies conversations

How to obtain an assistive device:

In order to access any form of assistive device for persons with a disability, a formal request must be made in writing to the Director of Care for patients at St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre; to the Volunteer Services Coordinator for a volunteer; or to a Manager for an employee. All requests are reviewed on an individual basis based on need, cost, and access to funding.

Closed Captioned Televisions – St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre is equipment with televisions in each patient room that are equipped to provide for closed captioning.

Accessibility Compliance Reports:

2023 AODA Compliance Report (SJHC)
2020 AODA Compliance Report (SJHC)
2017 AODA Compliance Report (SJHC)
2014 AODA Compliance Report (SJHC)
2012 AODA Compliance Report (SJHC)

If you require more information or need this information in another format, please e-mail accessibility@sjsudbury.com or call 705-674-2846 ext. 2222 and tell us what you require – we will work with you to meet your needs.