THUNDER BAY — A Thunder Bay woman worries she'll have trouble receiving critical information from doctors and nurses while she is in labour at the Health Sciences Centre next month.
Sabrina Ree is 37 weeks pregnant with her third child.
She's hard of hearing, and reads lips.
Ree said that, for an individual with a hearing impairment, trying to understand what medical staff are saying from behind their face masks during an important procedure is a serious problem.
"If something goes wrong...I must be able to hear or read the lips of what the doctor or midwives or nurses are saying."
In an interview this week, Ree said "Just for example, today I was in the hospital getting a test done, and many times I had to say 'Pardon me? I'm sorry. What did you say? What did you say?' It becomes very frustrating.for both parties."
She said transparent masks are available from suppliers, but are not currently used by the TBRHSC.
Ree has just recently raised the issue with the Labour and Delivery manager.
"They hadn't encountered this until I brought it forward to them. They're going to look into it," she said.
A TBRHSC spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that it's considering what it might be able to do for Ree.
"Our hospital is committed to accessibility, and all efforts will be made to ensure every patient receives safe, quality care. Also, anyone who requires assistance with communication issues or to attend appointments is entitled to an Essential Care Partner for support," the spokesperson said.
Ree also approached the Canadian Hearing Society for guidance.
Its response included a link to a website that indicates clear masks don't offer the filtration protection of a surgical mask and are only intended to help with communication in a non-infectious environment.
Ree said a transparent mask is safe to use in a normal delivery, but not for a sterile procedure such as a C-section birth.
COVID-19, however, has resulted in enhanced safety measures in all hospitals.
Ree hopes the TBRHSC will find a way to alleviate her concerns before she goes into labour.
"As my due date approaches I become more nervous about this," she said.
She thought long and hard about raising the issue in public, but ultimately decided it's something that needs to be discussed.
"Nobody wants to say 'Hey, I'm hard of hearing.' I hemmed and hawed. Over such a personal issue, do I really want to put this out there?".
One of the things that convinced Ree to do that was her knowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic has created obstacles to communication for lots of other people.
"I'm lucky. I can hear better than my dad, for example. Being in this pandemic has created more frustration for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community than ever before. And I don't think a lot of people know that," she said.
Ree cited the example of her own father trying to order a coffee in a donut shop, but being unable to understand what the cashier is saying.
"When you're a lip-reader, and that is taken away from you, it's like taking your glasses away, and you can't see," she said.
Ree hopes her story will raise more awareness in the community about the hidden challenges the pandemic has created.
"Being 37 weeks pregnant, due to give birth, I mean if that doesn't get people's attention about hearing and getting proper care, and transparency, I don't know what will," she added.
