A Jackson woman who suffers seizures says her trained service dog was kicked out of an Ocean County hospital in an incident that may have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A Jackson woman who suffers seizures says her trained service dog was kicked out of an Ocean County hospital, even threatened by staff with a trip to the pound, in an incident that it appears may have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Nicole Sorchinski was transported to Ocean Medical Center on Saturday after suffering a seizure that her 3-year-old service dog, Nala, detected. Roughly 20 minutes after arriving, a nurse told Sorchinski that Nala had to leave.
"[The nurse] said that Nala wasn't welcome here. She pointed at her watch and said, 'you have 15 minutes or I'm calling animal control and she's going to the pound for the night,'" Sorchinski said.
The 27-year-old said her service dog detects seizures, which are triggered by a traumatic brain injury she suffered in a 2015 car accident. Nala, a pitbull, circles Sorchinski three times and nudges her before an episode.
Sorchinski said Nala's breed contributed to why nurses evicted the dog, which a friend came to pick up. Sorchinski said that she was so emotionally distraught, she left shortly after without receiving medical attention.
Nicole Sorchinski and Nala. (Photo provided)
"They weren't even concerned about my seizure, they were concerned about the dog. I felt unsafe, like if this is how they're going to treat my service dog, how will they treat me in my care?" she said.
She said she was even more shocked the dog was asked to leave because the pair had been welcomed at Centrastate hospital in Freehold for six days after Sorchinski's last seizure.
She shared the story on Facebook, where it was shared more than 3,000 times and caught the attention of Hackensack Meridian Health officials, which runs Ocean Medical Center.
"We are deeply sorry for the experience expressed by our patient while visiting our emergency department. We are currently reviewing the situation to make certain protocols properly protect our patients and their service animals," a statement provided to NJ Advance Media said.
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"While our goal is to keep patients and their service animals together whenever possible, there are situations where our team members must focus on providing the highest quality care for our patients," the statement continues. "During this time, we believe it's important to ensure there is someone that can care for the service animal while we provide care to our patients."
Sorchinski said this is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
There is, however, a grey area when it comes to service animals in hospitals, experts say. Service dogs should be allowed wherever the public goes, but can be asked to leave if they are in an area with immunocompromised patients, or if the owner is unable to care for the dog.
"Service animals must be allowed in patient rooms and anywhere else in the hospital the public and patients are allowed to go. They cannot be excluded on the grounds that staff can provide the same services," the ADA website states.
Can anyone make their pet a service dog and take it everywhere?
Sorchinski said she's not interested in hearing further from hospital officials who have called her. She hasn't returned their call.
"I have nothing to say," she said. "It's not even like they're apologizing. They're just doing damage control. They don't care and that's what bothers me."
She said the response from the hospital has her considering legal action, but she first hopes employees at Ocean Medical Center improve their bedside manner and educate themselves on service animals and pitbulls.
"Just because a dog is a certain breed, that doesn't discredit them," she noted. "Just because Nala is a pitbull, she shouldn't be discriminated as a service dog."
Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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