A patient complained that an ER didn’t let their pit bull enter. After investigation, Episcopal Hospital will train staff on disability rights.

Temple Health’s Episcopal Hospital will better train staff on the rights of people with disabilities to use service animals following a federal investigation into a discrimination complaint, prosecutors said this week.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania opened an investigation into Episcopal following a May 2022 complaint that the hospital’s emergency department did not allow a person with a service dog to enter the emergency department.

The incident occurred when a patient arrived at the hospital with a pit bull, a Temple official said. The patient was evaluated by a nurse and offered care inside the hospital. But the patient refused to go with the dog through metal detectors at the entrance of the emergency room. Security staff could not let the patient in without going through security measures for the safety of other patients, staff, and visitors. That was why the patient was denied entry, not the presence of a service dog, the official said.

Under the American with Disabilities Act, hospitals and other public places are required to accommodate dogs trained to assist people with disabilities, such as by retrieving objects or reminding them to take medications. Not doing so is considered discrimination against people with disabilities. Hospital staff are allowed to ask whether the dog is a service animal required because of a disability and what tasks the dog is trained to preform. Thelaw prohibits asking for proof that the dog is a service animal.

The investigation concluded that Episcopal had the right policies in place, but staff needed better training.

“Some Episcopal Hospital staff and security contractors were not sufficiently familiar with those ADA and service animal policies,” the Department of Justice said in a letter to Temple.

The letter did not detail what happened or how staff responded to the dog.

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An internal review by Temple also found that security guards staffing the ER could have been more knowledgeable about the service animal policy.

Temple will require all new nurses and security contractors to review the hospital’s service-animal policies within their first week on the job under the agreement with the federal prosecutors. Current nurse and emergency department physicians will review the policy annually.

All nursing staff will undergo annual training on the ADA.

“Episcopal Hospital cooperated with the investigation and has recognized the importance of raising awareness of the ADA and service animals,” U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said in a statement.

Episcopal is situated in the Kensington neighborhood and offers a mix of primary care, emergency, and psychiatric services. The hospital frequently treats people who are experiencing drug overdoses, mental health crises, and the open wounds that can result from using xylazine, a powerful animal tranquilizer now contaminating most fentanyl sold in Philadelphia.

Jeremy Walters, a Temple spokesperson, said in a statement that Temple appreciates the U.S. attorney’s office’s guidance.

“In light of our commitment to enhancing awareness of the ADA and service animal policies for staff and security contractors at our Episcopal Campus, the Justice Department has closed its investigation,” Walters said.